The Ancient Grudge
by lovecamedown
Summary: Maddy and Rhydian are reunited in Canada; only to be faced with tough decisions they never wanted to have to make and a situation they could have never imagined. - A continuation of Season 3/my take on a Season 4. - Themes: Romance, Adventure, Family, Friendship, Angst.
1. Reunion

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **So, the way this is going to work is this: _

_Each chapter will stand as an episode or a part of an episode. For example, "Episode One" has two parts split in to two chapters; but another episode may just take up one chapter. At the start of each chapter I will state whether there's a 'part two' to the episode or whether the chapter stands as the whole episode. Hope that makes sense!? _

* * *

><p><strong>Episode One, Part 1 – "Reunion" <strong>

* * *

><p>Rhydian was almost at his last straw.<p>

He'd been climbing the mountains around here for almost ten days now; he was cold, tired, weak, and pretty lonely. Sleeping rough and having to hunt for all his food was most definitely _not _his idea of a good time away in Canada, but the whole time it had been worth it to find Maddy.

He promised her he'd find her. And he was not going to let her down.

On his tenth day of climbing and hiking, he found his way up another mountain that looked just the same as all the others he'd been working his way through – for all he knew, he could be just going in circles – and he stopped in front of a pile of rocks.

He decided to just go for it and let out a howl—partly out of frustration and desperation, but mostly just hoping that someone would hear him. Preferably Maddy.

Rhydian was just about to turn around and give up when he heard it.

He heard _her_.

"Maddy," he breathed, his smile bigger than he ever thought possible.  
>He <em>found <em>her.

After all those months of missing her; just wanting to see her face and hear her voice again. After this horrible journey he'd been on to get to her…he _found _her. He was going to get to see her again.

_Maddy_.

* * *

><p>Maddy didn't really remember what she was thinking or feeling before she smelled it.<p>

It was a scent she hadn't smelled in far too long; a scent that belonged to someone she had been longing for for over six months now.

She'd been up on the mountain, running around and letting off some steam with her parents in the bright mountain sunshine and crisp white snow; grinning and laughing, feeling her clothes whip around her in the wind.

Things had been going just fine, if not a little lacking of a bigger pack.

But then she smelled it. It was so familiar, so comforting, and for a moment she was scared that it might be too good to be true. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her.

In the past few months, it had been doing that a lot. She kept thinking she smelled him or saw him when using Eolas, but usually it was when she was half asleep and her mind was running wild on her. The images or scents would wash away almost immediately which is what told her that it was all fake; just a product of her tired imagination.

She missed him so much.

But this time, the scent lasted, and her eyes were searching the area carefully from under her dark eyelashes. She froze in her spot and inhaled a deep breath.

"Maddy? What is it?" Emma asked curiously, stopping what she was doing. She could sense that something was going on, but somehow she knew it was nothing bad. It was the opposite…she knew it was something good.

"Can you smell that?" Maddy wasn't looking at either one of her parents.

"Um…no, I…I don't think so…"

But her mum's sentence was cut short when Maddy heard it. She heard _him_; heard his howl coming from the distance.  
>And this time, she knew it wasn't fake, or in her imagination, or just any other wolf or Wolfblood out having a good time.<p>

It was Rhydian.

_Rhydian_.

Instinctively, Maddy howled back, and soon she spotted him. Right in the distance, barely even a dot to the human eye, but she was sure it was him. She _knew _it was him. It was his undeniable scent and his striking blonde hair that caught her eyes.

"Rhydian," she breathed before feeling the wolf take over. Straight away she transformed in to her canine self and she could vaguely hear her mum saying something to her in the background, but it was all a blur as she ran towards him.

He began bounding towards her and before they knew it their paws were skidding along the snow as they nearly crashed in to each other.

Rhydian was panting heavily and so was Maddy, but none of that mattered because they were together again. _Finally_.

The wolf's natural instinct was to sniff and nuzzle each other's fur as much as they could, spreading their scent on to each other after far too long of being apart. They looked at each other longingly, their faces softening at the sight of each other.

After a while, when they were satisfied with spreading scents back on to each other, Maddy decided she wanted to be in her human form again; she wanted to hug him, touch him, _talk _to him.

So she crouched to the ground, and when she rose again, she was human.

Watching as he transformed back too, she grinned. And then she leapt on to him, the grin on her face bigger than she ever thought possible, her legs wrapped around his waist.

She buried her head in to his neck and he held her up, his arms around her body tightly.

"Rhydian!" She giggled to herself, not quite believing that he was here with her; that she was touching him right now.

"Maddy," he laughed softly in to her ear.

Maddy pulled her face away from his shoulder and started kissing all over his face: his eyelids, his cheeks, his chin, his forehead. She just wanted to remember what it felt like to touch him.

"You found me," she breathed when she finally let her lips come away from his skin.

Rhydian put her down gently but didn't realise the grip of his arms around her, and he rested his forehead on hers.

"Did you ever doubt I would?"

Grinning, Maddy shook her head and felt the tears begin to sting at the back of her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe that she'd _found_ him – how long must it have taken him to find her, all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? – In _Canada_!?

Neither of them was at all able to hide their glee of seeing each other again.

"I sort of left my parents back there with no idea what's going on," Maddy said after a few minutes of silence. She pulled her head away from his and looked in to his eyes.

"We should maybe go tell them that I'm here."

Instead of nodding and walking back up the hill like Rhydian had expected, she just grinned even wider and said, "you're _here_." And then she leaned in and kissed him, so gently, so softly.  
>It took Rhydian by surprise at first but he soon kissed back and felt her smile as he did so.<p>

"I've missed you." Maddy whispered.

"I've missed you too. So…so much."

* * *

><p>Turns out Maddy's parents had gone back to their place. Segolia had provided them with a small cabin on the edges of the mountains and the wilderness – much smaller than their house back in Stoneybridge – nearly in the middle of no where. It was on the very outskirts of the small Canadian town, a few miles away from anywhere else; barely even a part of civilisation.<p>

"So you've been trekking through the mountains for 10 days?" Maddy asked as they walked in the direction of the house, down a steep slope consisting of snow and rocks that stuck out at all angles. There were trees surrounding them and as they descended the hill the temperature got higher and the snow began to fade slightly.

"Yeah," Rhydian shrugged nonchalantly, holding Maddy's hand to help as she jumped from a small rock and down in to the dirt.

"Wow."

"It's no big deal. You guys are the ones who live practically in the mountains now."

"We wouldn't if we had the choice," Maddy mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. So, tell me news. What's been going on back home?"

"So much stuff, you wouldn't believe. Jana came back a few months after you guys left; she'd been shot…"

Rhydian explained the whole Jana story before they finally reached what was, apparently, the Smith's new home.

It was almost completely invisible if you had no idea it was there. It was a small, brick house that resembled their home back in Stoneybridge. The roof was thick with snow and so were the window ledges.

Maddy opened the wooden front door and walked in before Rhydian, lending him a hand as he followed.

Inside, it was slightly bigger than the outside would have you believe. Maddy showed him around the place.

The door went straight in to the living cosy-looking living room where there were low ceilings and two small sofas around a log burner that was obviously rarely used; probably only when absolutely necessary. To the left of the living room, just past a small section of wall was a kitchen with a small dining table in it. The living room and kitchen were pretty much attached, similar to the way their home back in Stoneybridge had had a collection of sofas next to the kitchen.

Upstairs, there was one bathroom between the three of them straight ahead of the staircase and two bedrooms on the right hand side of the corridor. Maddy's room had a small double bed in – surprisingly more than what she had back home – and a wooden wardrobe.

Mr and Mrs Smith were in their room reading when Maddy and Rhydian knocked on the door and walked in. Her parents' bedroom was pretty much the same as hers, if not a little bigger.

"Rhydian?" Emma questioned incredulously. And then she stood up, a smile spreading across her face. "Rhydian!" She looked almost like she couldn't believe he was actually here as she hugged him.

"Hi, Mrs Smith."

"Rhydian, it's so great to see you," Dan smiled, standing up to hug him too. "How on earth did you find us?"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you came all the way out here to find us," Maddy whispered, moving closer to Rhydian on the sofa they were sitting on. The couch was right up against the window and covered in blankets strewn all over the fabric. The light in the room was dim but ample.<p>

They were sitting in the living room on their own, Emma and Dan having retired too bed for the night.

"I told you I'd find you." Rhydian answered softly, looking down at her. She was looking up at him, her arm wrapped around his, and her face was glowing in the small light of the lamp sitting on the coffee table in front of them. He took the opportunity to look at her face properly for the first time in months; her hair was a lot longer and messier now – down to just above her waist – and her face was almost the same, if not a little more matured.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Rhydian's response was a grin. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then looked up and out of the window at the small section of sky they could see from here. Because they were right on the edge of any civilisation whatsoever, there was no city glow at all out here – they were practically in the mountains – and the stars looked amazing. Rhydian thought stars only looked like this in pictures.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" She looked out too.

"I didn't even know there were that many stars visible to the naked eye."

"It helps that we have wolf sight." Maddy smiled.

Rhydian smiled too. "Full moons must be incredible out here."

"It's a far cry from that dingy old den back home, that's for sure," Maddy agreed. They were still looking up at the sky. "Out here it's…free. Although we're sort of part of the town, we never go there, so we're practically on our own land out here. We're fully a part of nature. It's…amazing."

The couple fell in to a comfortable silence for a while. Rhydian was just appreciating hearing her breathe and feeling her next to him; he couldn't stop touching her in some way. All day he'd just felt an absolute, desperate need to hold her hand, touch her face, stand or sit right next to her. He thought that maybe it was just to remind him that she was actually real.

Maddy felt the same. She couldn't seem to let him move just few feet away from her. He was here with her, and she wanted to make the most of it after spending so long away from him.

"I miss it though," Maddy suddenly said, her voice quiet and slightly tentative.

"Miss what?" Rhydian had almost forgotten what they were talking about five minutes ago. His brain was fried.

For a moment, Maddy remained silent. But then she drew a deep breath in and, when she spoke again, her voice was very slightly shaky. "Home. I miss home."

"It's safe to come home now," he reminded her. "Whitewood's on our side. So…you can if you want."

"I'm scared," she whispered, tightening her grip on his arm. "All three of us are scared."

"What are you scared of?"

"What if it all happens again? What if…what if someone finds out; someone that shouldn't find out – like Liam, or something, I don't know – and threatens to expose us again? We can't just leave every time someone gets suspicious…"

Rhydian bit his lip nervously, deciding that now probably wasn't the best time to tell her about the fact that Mr. Jeffries _and _Liam now knew their secret. "I wish I knew the answers to all these 'what if's.… You're right, it is risky, and it is scary. But it's still home, you know? It's still where we belong…"

"I know. But it's just simpler out here, away from humans. I'm starting to think your mum might be right about humans…maybe,"

"She's not. Humans can be great."

"But also dangerous."

"We are part human, remember. And humans did invent flushing toilets, mind you. That's something we can thank them for."

Maddy laughed – a real, genuine laugh – and leaned her head on his shoulder. "True. That's true."

And then the conversation ended somehow. It seemed to come to a natural end.

Maddy had had some good points about going home. And to be honest, if push came to shove, Rhydian would be willing to do whatever Maddy and her family wanted. The plan had been to stay out here for a while anyway. As much as he missed Stoneybridge, his friends, his family, his _pack_; he could do without them. But what he couldn't do without anymore was Maddy.

So, yeah, he'd be willing to stay with them here if that's what they had their hearts set on doing. If that's what would keep them safer, like Maddy said.

But he had a feeling that this conversation wasn't quite finished yet.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_So...here's the official first chapter of my S3 Continuation/my take on Season 4! __If you read my Maddian one-shot you may well have been expecting this continuation soon! __I really hope you guys got my little explanation of how this is going to work. If not, PM me and I will try to explain more :)  
><em>

_I realise that the title of this story is the same as a title of an episode in S2, but it has nothing to do with that:') _

_Soooo...what did you think!? Do let me know if you liked it, what you hope will happen and if you'd like to read more; I'll only continue this if people are interested:')_

_Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts! :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_**_[Just a note that this story will be centric around Maddian, but it will also have a running plot line not all about them eventually!]_**_**


	2. Final Decisions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode One, Part 2 - "Final Decisions"<strong>

* * *

><p>Rhydian had been with Maddy and her family for a couple of weeks now.<p>

It hadn't taken him long to settle in to this different routine in a different climate and an unfamiliar space.

He liked the change of scene, actually. It had been suffocating, staying in Stoneybridge all that time with all of the drama and chaos happening. Out here, everything was simple and stripped back. He was faced with the challenge of getting used to the way the Smiths had started living their life; things were totally different here. They had invented new rules about living as a Wolfblood out here, and Rhydian had to get used to that, but he liked the challenge. He liked the change of scene.

But Maddy? – Maddy wasn't so sure.

She'd been out here for months now, nearly eight, and she'd never been particularly keen on it from the very beginning. At first she'd managed to take it in her stride and get used to it, but now it had been far too long since she'd had the comfort of her own bed, back home. The bed here was fine – she was grateful for it – but it wasn't where she felt at home. One thing she also really missed was the laughter and fun with her best friends that she so badly craved.

It was great to have Rhydian back – she didn't want to live without him ever again – but having him here with her and her parents just reminded her of the things she was missing at home. For months she had been able to shut out that pain and homesickness; pretend it wasn't there and like none of it hurt.  
>But now that a <em>part <em>of her home had come to her in Canada and in their totally new life, she was beginning to miss her old life a heck of a lot more.

So much so that it made her feel really homesick; it was keeping her up at night.

"Rhydian," Maddy whispered quietly, "Rhydian, are you awake?" The two were sharing the bed in Maddy's room, curled up together under an old duvet and a couple of blankets. The house didn't have any central heating.  
>On the walls of the room, they had stuck up a couple of photos that Rhydian had brought with him: one of Shannon, Tom and Jana all together, one of Maddy and Shannon and one of Maddy and himself. Maddy already had a few photos out here but Rhydian's ones were her favourite; he'd kept them all that time, which meant a lot to her.<p>

Rhydian groaned and rolled over to face her, frowning. "I am now."

"Sorry," she bit her lip.

"You OK?" He managed to open one sleepy eye and looked her over carefully, looking for any signs of distress on her face. Luckily, there were none.

"I can't sleep," she admitted sheepishly.

"Why not? Are you warm enough?" Rhydian had thought it was quite warm considering they were dangerously close to the Canadian mountains – so warm that he was sleeping shirtless – but maybe Maddy was cold. He reached up to feel the temperature of the tips of her ears. She was sitting up on her elbow.

"Yeah, I'm warm enough. Speaking of, are you not freezing? Why don't you have a top on?"

Rhydian shrugged, closing his eyes again. "I'm fine. Now why can't you sleep?"

Maddy sighed through her nose. "I just…I can't stop thinking of Stoneybridge. Our friends, our home, our school…"

"Maybe you should talk to your parents about going back." His eyes were closed and he still felt sleepy, but he was talking as if he were fully alert and awake. He wanted to be there for Maddy, even if that meant not falling back asleep.

"They'll say no,"

"How do you know? And anyway, don't you think they might be missing home too?"

Maddy thought about this for a moment and then shrugged slowly. "I don't know. Probably. But you know mum and dad; they…they don't always act on what they want to do. They're all about being responsible."

"You never know until you ask, Mads. Maybe they're thinking that _you_ won't want to go back."

"Of course I want to go back," Maddy argued. "Why would they even think I don't?"

Rhydian opened his eyes and held his hands up in surrender, his eyebrows raised. "Hey, don't ask me. They're your parents."

Sighing, she chewed her bottom lip and put her head back down to her pillow. She really did miss the comforts of home; she wasn't built for this makeshift life of sleeping on a lumpy old bed in a cold house that smelled strongly of dust and dampness. As much as it was safer out here for both their secret and the secrets of the other Wolfbloods of the world, it wasn't where Maddy belonged. She didn't want to pretend like she belonged half in the wild anymore; they lived more as wolves than humans, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Maddy's eyes settled somewhere on Rhydian's chest and she reached out to touch him. Surprisingly, his skin was actually very warm considering he had no shirt on and they were near the snowy mountains. It was weird.

"How are you not freezing?" She asked incredulously.

"You must be warming me up."

Maddy looked up at him for a moment and smirked, watching him fall in to quiet snickers.

And when she looked back down again, she started tracing circles on his skin with her finger whilst she thought about going back home. She was imagining a hot bath, a warm, comfortable bed, processed food, central heating…  
>It all sounded pretty perfect. And then there was the added bonus of the rest of her <em>pack<em>; how could her parents ever stay away from their own pack forever? It wasn't right that they were apart.

"I can stay here as long as you need or want me to," Rhydian said in to the silence. "I'm a free man now," Maddy chuckled at his use of the phrase 'free man' before letting him continue, "The Vaughans think I'm staying with my long lost uncle for a while. But on the other hand, I can go home whenever I want. I'm flexible."

"Thanks, Rhydian."

"Unless of course you _want_ me to go home…"

Maddy snorted. "As if. You're not going anywhere without me."

And then Rhydian smiled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek before settling his head back on to the pillow.

"You can go back to sleep now. Sorry I woke ya."

"S'okay," Rhydian shrugged, closing his eyes. "I want to be here for you. And listen, Mads, it'll all work out. We'll find where we're meant to be."

She nodded and closed her eyes, shuffling closer towards him. She rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

And before she fell asleep, she kissed his chest and told him she loved him, and he said it back.

* * *

><p>When Rhydian awoke the next morning, he found that the space next to him where Maddy should be was empty. Frowning, he turned around to find what time it was but then realised there was no clock there. Of course.<p>

Instead he pushed the fur and the blanket back and stood up, throwing his shirt and jacket on before making his way downstairs. He hadn't brought any pyjamas; Maddy said she'd ask her dad for some spares at some point.

When he got downstairs, Maddy was in the kitchen wearing her pyjamas and a thick hoody, leaning against the counter with a mug of hot water in her hands. They had no tea or coffee.

She looked thoughtful. There was a frown etched on to her forehead, but it wasn't a bad kind of frown; it just looked like she was deep in thought. And for a moment Rhydian could have sworn it looked like she'd been crying. She didn't even notice him there until he was right in front of her.

"Hey," Rhydian said, standing next to her and leaning against the counter too.

"Morning," Maddy responded.

"Did you manage to get to sleep last night eventually?"

"Yeah. Did you get back to sleep after I woke you?"

"Yeah," he smiled and reached down to take her hand. His thumb smoothed over her skin gently. "Where are your parents?"

"Getting breakfast."

"Great. What are we having?"

"Fish, I think. We didn't have chance to go to the shop safely this week, so it's catching our food or no food. We'll cook it for you, seeing as you're not as used to raw meat as us."

"Appreciate it," He grinned, guiding her over to one of the dining table to sit down. "Are you okay?"

Maddy sat down next to him, looked at him and smiled gently. "Yeah. Fine. Why?"

"No reason." Rhydian lied, choosing to ignore the slight bloodshot look in her eyes and the salty tear stain on her left cheek. Maybe it was just the cold weather.

* * *

><p>A while later, Emma and Dan came back with yellow eyes and a few different fresh fish. They grinned at Maddy and Rhydian when they walked inside and started preparing the fish right away.<p>

Mrs. Smith wiped her knife clean on the worktop she was chopping the fish on and looked up at Rhydian and Maddy from under her eyelashes.

"So, Rhydian, we have something we wanted to speak to you about." She started. Rhydian and Maddy were sitting next to each other at the dining table, facing Maddy's parents who were still preparing breakfast. Maddy and Rhydian were holding hands, of course, and Maddy was leaning her head on Rhydian's arm. He had grown taller over the past few months, meaning that she had to look up at him to see his face from her current position.

Rhydian smiled politely. "Shoot." He said. And for some reason, Maddy tightened her grip on him for a passing moment before Emma continued.

"Maddy spoke to us about returning home this morning, before you woke up," she started. Rhydian's heart beat increased slightly in anticipation. "She told us how much she's been missing it, especially since you arrived."

Dan continued for Emma. "We had a long discussion about it…and we decided that, as much as we love our home back in Stoneybridge, we can't go back again. Well, we _can_, but we've decided not to. It's easier this way; safer. There's no risk of people finding out what we are; no risk of anything going wrong. It's just better for us out here, Rhydian…"

Rhydian looked down at Maddy. She wasn't making eye contact with him at all but he could still see tears rising in her eyes. So _that's _why it looked like she'd been crying earlier on.

Emma smiled sadly. "We're sorry, Rhydian. And we're sorry to all your friends back home. We do want to go back, but…"

"It's okay," Rhydian said softly and genuinely. "I understand, Mrs. Smith. It's what's best for you guys, and I get that."

"We talked about the options of you staying or going, too; and we're totally happy for you to stay out here with us, but if you want to go home, we'll understand that too."

Looking back down at Maddy, he saw that she was looking up at him now, and when their eyes met he realised that there were tears falling out one by one. The look she gave him was heartbreaking. Her forehead was wrinkled, her eyes scared and her lip quivering very slightly. Without having to say anything, Rhydian knew what she was trying to say to him.

She wanted him to stay.

So he would.

"I'm not gonna leave you, Maddy," he said to her, and watched as she broke out in to a tear-filled smile. "I'm staying."

In his peripheral vision he saw Maddy's parents smile and get back to their various jobs, but he kept his eyes on Maddy who was frowning at him again now.

"Are you sure?" She asked quietly.

Rhydian nodded. "Positive."

* * *

><p>Five more days went by.<p>

Maddy and Rhydian had been out hunting for their dinner together one night, and Rhydian was beginning to enjoy being self-sufficient and working as a team with the Smiths. He wasn't used to this lifestyle, but it was almost as if this lifestyle was used to him; it seemed to work with them and he liked that. He liked feeling like he was a part of the family.

However, he had begun to notice that Maddy wasn't quite acting herself. She was being very quiet and not laughing as much as usual; even when Rhydian had suggested a run to let off some steam (usually her favourite thing), she just shrugged and went to her room, not saying another word.

He considered talking to her parents about it, but he didn't want to appear stupid. Maybe this was just how Maddy was now; maybe she'd changed.

It was an evening, just after he had eaten dinner with Emma and Dan, when Rhydian started wondering where Maddy was. She had been in her room for quite some time now – she hadn't even come out to eat the meal – and Rhydian was worried.

"Emma," Rhydian said in to the silence, looking over to where Emma was sitting on the sofa opposite him. "Do you know if Maddy's okay?"

She shrugged. "I think she's just tired. It's late."

Rhydian nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

Wordlessly, he stood up and went up the stairs towards Maddy's room. When he pushed the door open slowly and stepped in, he saw Maddy lying on the bed, her back facing the door, and she had something in her hands. Once he was closer he realised it was a picture of Tom, Shannon and Jana; one of the pictures off the wall.

"Maddy," he said softly, trying to get her attention.

"I knew you were there," she said quietly. Her voice sounded different.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine,"  
>But her voice was croaky, and soon after her weak attempt to convince Rhydian she was okay, she sniffed and went to wipe her eye.<br>She wasn't fine.

Sighing through his nose, Rhydian stepped over silently and crawled on to the bed behind her. He didn't touch her just yet.

"Maddy," he said again, his voice still just as soft as he watched her from behind. She was playing with the corners of the photo that were now slightly dog-eared, and she sniffed again. "What's wrong, Mads?"

She took in a deep breath before finally speaking, her voice scratchy and quiet. "I miss it."

"Miss what?" Rhydian scooted closer to her and put his arm around her waist from behind before kissing her shoulder lightly.

"Home. I don't want to stay here, Rhydian. I know that was the plan all along and I know mum and dad finalised it a few days ago, but I just…I miss it so much. I miss our friends. Our _pack_. I never thought this was going to be forever."

Sighing, Rhydian reached up to brush some hair from her face gently. She turned around to face him.

Photo still in hand, she wiped a stray tear off her face and sniffed.

"It doesn't have to be forever," Rhydian said gently. "Maybe we can go back someday."

"'Someday' isn't soon enough. I want our pack to be together. I want our town back."

"I know."

"Don't you miss it too?" Maddy looked up at him.

He shrugged. "Yeah…but I haven't been away for as long as you. Do you think your parents will ever change their minds?"

Maddy shook her head sadly and looked back down at the photo that was sitting between her fingers.

It was a picture of Jana, Shannon and Tom, standing together with their arms around each other and pulling funny faces at the camera. Behind the goofy poses their faces spoke joy and laughter, and it made Maddy smile nostalgically.

Jana's hair wasn't as red in this photo as Maddy had remembered it; it was clearly taken when she'd returned after Maddy and her parents had left. Shannon's hair was down and straight – Maddy rarely saw that – and she looked happy. And Tom just looked like his usual self; maybe a bit taller and more mature. She missed them a lot.

Rhydian watched Maddy as she scanned over each of their friends' faces. She looked so sad and frustrated at the fact that her parents had decided not to return home; Rhydian could tell that it wasn't the result she had been hoping for.  
>Thinking about it now, Maddy had been up and unable to sleep every night since they'd made the decision. Rhydian should have guessed that this was the reason.<p>

And then an idea popped in to his head (an idea that was really quite a stupid and ambitious one) and for a moment he nearly didn't suggest it to her.  
>But then he saw the sad look in her eyes – the look of desperation as if she'd never get her true life back again – and he couldn't resist.<p>

"What if…" he started, his voice failing him halfway.

Maddy looked up at him from under her dark eyelashes. "What if what?"

Rhydian hesitated for a moment, looking right in to her beautiful brown eyes, before spitting out his crazy idea. "What if…what if _we _go back, but…but your parents stay here? I mean, your parents don't _need _us here and we can fend for ourselves back in Stoneybridge…I guess? Maybe?" And when Maddy just blinked at him and didn't say anything, Rhydian faltered. It was never going to happen. "Sorry, stupid plan, I know…it's never gonna work like that. I shouldn't have—"

"No," Maddy cut him off, her voice suddenly louder. "No, it's not a stupid plan. Maybe it could work…" She bit her lip for a moment and looked away, clearly thinking this plan through over and over in her head. Rhydian's heart was pounding nervously in his chest. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea he'd had and he honestly wasn't expecting her to consider it.

She looked up at him and for a moment she looked excited, but then the reality sunk in and her face fell again.

Her head fell back down to the pillow.

"My parents will never go for it." She mumbled, closing her eyes again and wiping away a leftover tear.

Rhydian was silent for a moment as he considered his idea. And then he shrugged lightly and said, "Does that matter though?"

"What do you mean?"

"They can't exactly make you stay, right? I mean…you're your own person."

"I guess so."

"Do you want to go home?" Rhydian asked, just trying to get her to admit it again, hoping it would help her make a decision.

Maddy paused and then she started nodding, slowly, feeling tears rise again. "Of course."

"Then…let's go tell them that we're going home."

Finally, she looked up at him again and her eyes were wide, but not sad anymore. Behind those dark brown orbs there was now a tiny glint of hope.

"Rhydian," she started warily. "Are we really going to do this?"

Rhydian held back a grin. "Why not?"

And then Maddy grinned – a small grin, but still a grin – and leaned up to kiss him, her hand coming up behind his head and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Man, she loved him. She loved him and his crazy ideas that were actually quite amazing. She loved him and his hair and his eyes; but mostly his ability to make her feel better about anything.

"I love you." She said.

He grinned too and wiped away the tears on her cheeks that had finally stopped falling from her eyes, leaning in to kiss her just once more. "I love you too. Now let's go prepare for war."

Maddy laughed, following him as he walked out of the room, their hands entwined together.

It was going to be an interesting evening.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_So, this chapter got a bit repetitive by the end, I know, but the next chapter will be a lot better. This chapter was essential, I guess, but maybe not the most fun to read?! _

_Okay, so I just need to thank you guys __**so **__much for the reviews I got on the first installment of this story. I can't believe the response I got—I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to read it! Thank you all so, SO much, I love you, and I hope you love reading this story as much as I love writing it. :')  
><em>

_Please do let me know what you thought of this chapter, too! :) _

_Love :* xxx_

_PS. What do you guys think of the cover for this story? I'm 50/50 on whether I like it or not! _

**_Next Episode of 'The Ancient Grudge': '_**_Maddy's head snapped up and she stared at him with wild eyes, her breathing heavy. "We've made a huge mistake."'_


	3. Home Comforts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode Two - "Home Comforts"<strong>

_This chapter is a whole episode. _

* * *

><p>"Mam? Dad?" Maddy said tentatively, walking down the stairs and in to the kitchen. Her parents were sitting on the sofa reading together.<p>

"Yeah?" Emma replied, not looking up from her book.

Maddy and Rhydian walked in front of them. Maddy perched herself on the edge of the sofa opposite her parents and Rhydian tentatively sat on the arm of the couch, not wanting to get too comfortable in case all hell broke loose when they suggested their idea of going home by themselves.

"So…we wanted to talk to you about going home," Maddy started, her voice quite hesitant. Emma looked up at her from above her reading glasses without moving her head and raised her eyebrows.

"We already made up our minds, Maddy. You know that." She said gently.

"I know, but…"  
>Emma nudged Dan to get his attention and he took the hint, removing his glasses and putting his book to the side. Emma did the same, and then Maddy continued. "I'm really missing home more than I ever thought I would, and I know you guys think it's safer for us out here but it's just…it's not home, you know? It's not where we belong…"<p>

"We belong where it's safe, Madeline," Emma said, looking at her daughter pointedly.

"We belong in Stoneybridge."

"What exactly are you implying, Maddy?" Dan questioned.

Maddy took a deep breath, biting her bottom lip for a moment before letting the breath out. "If you want to stay out here, then we want to go back to Stoneybridge.… On our own. Just us."

An ominous silence came upon the room as Maddy's parents stared at her, glancing between her and Rhydian, their eyebrows raised incredulously.

From where Rhydian was sitting, his arms resting on his legs and his head hanging low, he sensed Emma's eyes settling on him for good. Tentatively, he looked up, barely moving his head.

"Was this your idea, Rhydian? Are you putting these ridiculous ideas in my daughter's head?" Emma asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Rhydian took a breath to speak but Maddy spoke before he had the chance, putting her hand on his leg as a defence.

"Oh no you don't, don't turn this around on Rhydian," Maddy exclaimed. "This was not Rhydian's decision—and even if it was him, what does that matter!? It's what I want to do too, so you should accept that. I knew you'd have this reaction! Why do you always blame it on Rhydian!?"

Rhydian suddenly felt ten times more awkward.

Dan tried to calm the situation down. "Maddy, it's not that we don't accept it, it's just that we don't think you guys are ready to live on your own…"

"You guys have paid the mortgage off, so all we'd have to worry about is bills. Rhydian can sell his drawings, I can get a job…we'll be fine!"

"No you won't, Maddy," Emma insisted. "You're still just a cub; you can't live on your own!"

"I'm not a cub!" Maddy exploded. "How many times do I have to tell you that!? And did you ever stop to think that Rhydian trekked all through the mountains _by himself _for weeks before he found us? And Jana practically babysat Ceri at our house whilst we were away. We can do this!"

"Mrs. Smith, if you'll just let us try this…" Rhydian tried to be the calm one, but Emma wasn't having any of it.

"Rhydian, this doesn't concern you."

"Well actually, _mam_, it kind of does," Maddy defended her boyfriend, her hand still on his leg. Rhydian's hand came down and put it on top of hers. "We're our own people now; we can do what we want."

"No, you can't. You will never make it work."

"Well, thanks so much for that faith."

"Stop being so snarky!" Emma exclaimed. "We are not letting you go back there on your own!"

For a moment, Maddy stared at her parents, her breathing slightly increased. Rhydian's grip on her hand tightened and she looked up at him for a moment. He nodded once, and that's when she knew what to do.

Follow her heart.

"Well, even if you don't want us to go, we're going. This is what we have to do; it's where we belong. I'm thinking about Rhydian here, too; we can't keep him away from his home like this either!"

"We gave Rhydian the offer of going back home and he didn't take it. That's not our responsibility!"

"Oh, would you stop going on about responsibility!" Maddy almost yelled. "Rhydian is my boyfriend; my best friend, my _Alpha_ and I have to consider him too. Isn't that the _mature _thing to do?"

Emma took a deep breath, watching her now worked up daughter. Maddy's eyes were on the verge of turning yellow; clearly she felt really strongly about this.

"So? Are you going to let us go?" Maddy questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Well, it seems you're going to go anyway, whether we let you or not." Dan said.

"We are."

Maddy's parents both took deep breaths and looked at each other warily, Emma chewing her lip and Dan's eyebrows furrowed slightly. And then they turned back to their daughter and Emma shrugged lightly.

"I guess we can't stop you, can we?" She said. A tiny smile tugged on Maddy's lips. "Just make sure you say hi to your friends for us, won't you?"

Maddy grinned and so did Rhydian, and Maddy shot up from the sofa to bring her parents in to a large group hug.

"We'll come visit," she said over their shoulders. "And you can visit us."

Rhydian smiled nostalgically at the last words he had said to the pack back in Stoneybridge and watched as Maddy let her parents go, all of them smiling bittersweetly.

Maddy turned to Rhydian and broke out in to a grin. Rhydian laughed, accepting her hug when she came over.

* * *

><p>Rhydian and Maddy took the first flight out of Canada and to London the next day. Her parents had supplied them with a bit of extra money and permission to use their savings bank account from back home if it was absolutely needed. Turns out the mortgage had been paid off for years and over that time they'd been saving the money they would have spent on it and put it in the bank, meaning there was quite a lot in there in case Maddy and Rhydian should need it.<p>

Rhydian didn't know where Jana was now – whether she was still in Stoneybridge, where she was living, things like that – but he hoped that Ceri and his dad might be willing to stay with them for a while. It would look weird, Maddy coming back to live on her own without her parents, but if Rhydian stayed with her and Ceri or Gerwin was their legal guardian, it might just work out. He knew he was old enough to make his own decisions now, but he just wanted to be sure that social services wouldn't be tempted to intervene.

Rhydian hoped that things would work in their favour.

Maddy seemed quite nervous about returning. Rhydian noticed her palms getting a little sweaty as the aeroplane's engines started up on the runway, and her breathing increased a bit. At first he thought it was just nerves of being back in civilisation and heading back to old ways, but once the plane was in the sky, Maddy seemed to worsen.

It was like she was about to faint, but she never did, and Rhydian was only able to let this happen for a short while before finally saying something.

"Maddy, are you alright?" Rhydian asked quietly, hoping people couldn't hear him over the loud breaths she was taking.

Maddy's head snapped up and she stared at him with wild eyes, her breathing heavy. "We've made a huge mistake," she breathed.

"What? Why?"

"I can't do this, Rhydian; we have to go back,"

"We can't go back; the plane is in the sky, like, right now."

"We have to!"

"Why!?"

Maddy hesitated before exploding quietly. "Because I've never done anything or gone anywhere without my parents, okay!?" She admitted, clearly a bit embarrassed by how anxious this was making her. And then she exhaled loudly, letting her head fall back on to the seat.  
>Rhydian watched as her chest rose and fell quickly, her eyes open and staring up at the roof of the aeroplane. His forehead was wrinkled, his whole face intense as he sat up and away from the seat.<p>

"I've never done anything like this before," she said, breaking the tense silence between the two. "What if something goes wrong? We can't call them because they have no phones, and even if they did, it would be no good anyway! We can't do this, Rhydian, we have to go back."

Rhydian watched her for another few moments. He sighed through his nose, leaning back against the seat and reaching over to take her hand in his. Her palms were still sweating.

"We've worked a million things out on our own before," he reminded her softly, smoothing his thumb over the top of her hand.

Maddy sighed. "I know, but I'm just scared that something really bad will happen and I won't be able to save the situation. This is such a huge step in to something so unknown…"

"It'll be alright, Maddy," Rhydian smiled very softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'll look after you."

Maddy turned her head to look at her boyfriend. He was looking at her so sincerely, so supportively, and it made her feel at peace for a moment.

"I know you will." She breathed, squeezing his hand back before leaning over and giving him a tight one-armed hug.

Rhydian buried his head in to her shoulder and kissed her neck lightly.

"We can do this, okay?" He said. Maddy felt his voice against her skin. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

* * *

><p>Ten hours later, the aeroplane finally touched down in London Heathrow. Maddy's grip on Rhydian's hand was extremely tight for the rest of the day as they called for a taxi to take them to the train station, got a train to Newcastle and then another to Stoneybridge. She didn't let his hand go the whole time; luckily they didn't have much luggage to carry at all.<p>

When they finally arrived in to the familiar town and made their way through the woods towards Maddy's house, it was 10pm. Rhydian's phone was on and working for the first time in weeks; he had a few texts from his friends but not many because they all knew he didn't have signal in Canada.

Maddy unlocked the front door to her old house. When she stepped inside, she took a huge breath in and finally let go of Rhydian's hand. She was _home_ again. Finally.

It still smelled the same (if not scented slightly from Ceri and Jana) and it was surprisingly warm inside considering no one had been in the house for a good few weeks.

"Home," Maddy whispered, inhaling the familiar scents and grinning at all of the home comforts sitting right in front of her. "_Home_."

"It was never the same without you here." Rhydian commented, smiling and watching as she frantically walked around the room, a huge grin on her face. She seemed to be exploring every single part of the downstairs of the house, inhaling every scent and touching every surface. She'd missed it so much.

The next place Maddy visited was upstairs; she practically charged up the stairs and burst in to the bathroom.

"We have a _bath _again," she said happily. "A _bath_!"

Rhydian chuckled, leaning against the door frame. "You can bath to your hearts content."

"I will."

Maddy pushed past Rhydian and ran to her bedroom door, the excitement overtaking her as she stood there for a moment before pushing it open. Her room looked just the same as it always had; her pictures were still just as she had left them and the duvet cover was the same as it was the last time she'd slept in it.

The first light she turned on was the lamp by her bed, leaving the room in a dim light but light enough to see everything she needed to.

She turned to Rhydian, who was biting his lip.

"You know what we need to do, right?" Rhydian asked.

Maddy grinned, stepping towards him and snaking her arms around his neck. "Kiss for a while to celebrate coming home?"

Rhydian chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling away again. "Yes, but not yet. We need to tell Shan and Tom that we're here."

"Oh my gosh," her smile widened. "I can't wait to see them. This is so exciting."

"Shall I text them?"

Maddy nodded quickly and watched as Rhydian pulled his phone out from his pocket.

* * *

><p>Shannon and Tom were sitting in Shannon's living room watching a movie when Shannon's phone went off. Lazily she pulled it out from her pocket and was just about to put it back again uninterestedly before she realised who the text was from.<p>

"Tom," Shannon said quietly, nudging him slightly. He must have drifted off during the movie. "_Tom_."

Tom awoke with a jolt and looked irritated that she had woken him up, but when he saw the strange and wary look in her eye, he frowned and leaned forward.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a text…from Rhydian," her eyes were slightly wide behind her glasses.

Tom was instantly confused. "But Rhydian doesn't have phone signal in Canada…"

Shannon nodded once. "Exactly."

And then she turned back to her phone and opened the text, anticipation rising in her stomach. Neither her nor Tom wanted to get their hopes up about this; for all they knew, Rhydian could still be in Canada after just finding some random phone signal. But still, both of them had the tiniest glint of hope in their eyes, wishing for all the world that this text would say what they wanted it to say.

It did.

_We're home. _

Shannon nearly dropped the phone as she gasped and stood up excitedly.

"What did it say!?" Tom exclaimed, even more confused now. He stood up and tried to look over his girlfriend's shoulder, but she was jumping up and down slightly. "You didn't let me read it!"

Handing him the phone forcefully, she watched as his face straightened out as he read the text. And then he grinned widely, dropping the phone on the sofa behind him.

He stared at Shannon excitedly. "Did he say…'_we're_ home'? Who's _we_?"

"Maddy! He must be home with Maddy!" Shannon laughed, ecstatic, and threw herself at Tom, wrapping her arms around him in an excited hug. "I can't believe it! Tom, they're _home_!"

And straight away after pulling out of her boyfriend's arms, she lunged for her phone and pressed the 'call' button on her screen next to Rhydian's name.

* * *

><p>Rhydian finished the text and threw his phone down on Maddy's bed.<p>

"Where were we?" He smirked before leaning in and kissing Maddy softly. Maddy brought her hands down to sit on his chest and his found their way around her waist. Their lips were moving together slowly, softly; the kind of kiss that made both of them want to melt in to this moment forever and never leave.

Rhydian brought Maddy as close as he could to him and she sighed happily, a grin working its way on to her lips. Finally she was home; back where she belonged. And the best part of it all was that she was here with her Alpha.

Just as Rhydian's hands were finding their way to her lower back, his phone rung suddenly on the bed beside them, making Maddy jump. She pulled away from Rhydian a little, slightly out of breath as she stared at the phone.

"It's Shannon," she said. Her lips were slightly swollen. "She'll want to talk to me."

Just as Maddy was about to reach for the phone, Rhydian put his arms around her waist again and pulled her back in, arms and all.

"She can wait," he whispered. "For now, I just want to do this…"

Maddy only had a second to smile before he kissed her again.

His lips came away from hers and he kissed along her jaw line, up her neck and just under her earlobe.

"I'm glad we came back," he murmured, his nose nuzzling her warm skin.

Maddy's hands came up to the back of his neck. Her hands tangled in his hair tightly and her eyes were closed as he kissed her neck again.

"Me too." She whispered just before his lips connected with hers once more.

And soon, the ringing phone on the bed beside them was long forgotten.

* * *

><p>Maddy awoke in the middle of the night. Looking at the clock, she realised it was 4am; she'd been in bed for three hours now.<p>

Initially the plan had been to come home and go to bed straight away, but she and Rhydian were just so happy to be back here together that they couldn't leave each others sides. They would have slept in the same bed if they could but Maddy's bed was far too narrow.

So instead they'd kissed for a while and then stayed up talking, holding each other as close as possible on top of Maddy's bed. In Canada they hadn't had as much time to talk as they would have liked; things were weirdly busy out there, what with finding food and preparing it and trying to keep the house in a remotely good state. Not to mention having Maddy's parents around all the time; never giving them a chance for a private conversation.

Rhydian had gone in to the spare room at about 1am, leaving Maddy to head to sleep. She was exhausted.

And the minute her head hit the pillow, she had fallen asleep right away.

Being awake at 4am was definitely not a part of the plan, though. She hoped she'd be able to get back to sleep, but a lot of things were going through her head, so it didn't seem very likely.

But oh boy was she glad to be back home again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Hi hi :) _

_You guys are amazing, thank you so, **so **much for reading and for all your wonderful reviews. Just...thank you. I can't tell you how happy it makes me! _

_I hope you liked this chapter. As always, thoughts are appreciated! _

**_Oh, and to answer one of the guests' questions from last week (I would reply privately but can't reply to guest reviewers:():_**_  
><em>_How often do you think you'll update? Once a week?_ _- Probably once a week, yes. I try not to go over a week between chapters! Hopefully I'll come up with some kind of routine eventually :)  
><span>How old are Rhydian and Maddy now?<span> - Rhydian would have been 16 when he left for Canada in the show. But Idk, I feel like he should be 17 now at least :/ So for this story let's just say he's 16/17 and Maddy, being a few months younger in my head, will still be 16. They would be older if it weren't for the actual ages on the show; I want it to be as accurate as possible. :) _

_Love :* xxx_


	4. The Pack

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode Three, Part 1 - "The Pack"<strong>

* * *

><p>When Rhydian woke up the next morning, the light was streaming in through the spare bedroom's blue curtains, giving the room a slight turquoise tint.<p>

He lay sleepily on his back for a few minutes, trying to adjust to the light and the different surroundings. He had slept well, but it was weird not having Maddy in the bed next to him; for the past few weeks in Canada she had been there by his side as he slept, because there _was _no other place for him to sleep, and it had become something he was used to.

Eventually he dragged himself out of his new bed, knowing he would have to sort a few things out today. The summer holiday had passed quickly and less than a week remained before school started again. Rhydian was planning on going back to Bradlington High to take his A-Levels alongside Shannon (Tom was going to a nearby college) and he had to find out what Maddy wanted to do, as well as look for a way to make money.

And the final – and possibly trickiest – things he needed to do…were to find Jana, _and_ find his parents.

Rhydian went to the bathroom first, only to discover that the door was locked.

"Maddy?" He questioned.

"You're awake," he heard a familiar voice from behind the door. "Finally!"

"What are you doing?"

"Having a bath, what are you doing?"

Chuckling, Rhydian leaned against the door frame with his hand. "Having a nice bath?"

"It's _amazing_," Maddy grinned, although Rhydian couldn't see it, and tipped her head back on to the wall behind her. "Do you know if there's any food in the house?"

Rhydian thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I'll go check."

When he got downstairs in to the empty and slightly cold kitchen, he found an old box of cereal in the cupboard, a bag of self raising flour and some mouldy bread in the bread bin. Great.

He wasn't really sure what he'd been expecting; after all, this house had been empty for a while now (he wasn't really sure how long for).

A few minutes later, Maddy came down the stairs. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was just wearing her fluffy dressing gown and some socks.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

She yawned and scratched her head. "Sort of. You?"

"Same."

"Find any food?"

Rhydian shook his head. "Not really. There's some stale cereal…but no milk. That's about it."

"Oh, great," Maddy wrinkled her nose. "Sounds wonderful," sarcasm was dripping from her words. "We can't afford a shop at the moment. We might have to go hunting."

After hunting for the majority of their meals during all those months in Canada, Maddy had been looking forward to some proper food. But they couldn't afford to do a shop until they sorted out their finances. They had her parent's savings, sure, but there wasn't much of it and they needed to save it for real emergencies.

Rhydian nodded. "We might have to," he shrugged. "So…fancy some dry, stale cereal for breakfast?"

She was about to decline, but then her stomach growled loudly and she looked down at it incredulously. She hadn't eaten since last night at 8pm on their train journey home. It was 10am now.

"Sounds like your stomach's saying yes to that, Mads." Rhydian smirked and headed over to the cabinet to get a bowl for her.

"Don't we have any meat? Like, proper meat?"

"Nope. Mum and Jana must have eaten it all before they left."

"Where are they, anyway?" Maddy asked as she sat down at the table.

Rhydian handed her the bowl of cereal along with a spoon, put the kettle on and then sat down opposite her. He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm planning on asking Shannon and Tom."

"Oh, they're coming over in a bit. I called 'em this morning."

"Awesome," Rhydian grinned. "Did they sound excited?"

"I only spoke to Shan, but she was more excited than I've ever heard her, so…"

Laughing, he stood up and grabbed some mugs. "Tea?"

Maddy sighed happily. It'd been far too long since she'd had a good cup of tea. "Please."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Maddy had gotten dressed in to a fresh pair of clothes. In Canada she'd only had a couple outfits to wear, but now that she was back at home she had her whole wardrobe to choose from.<p>

Rhydian got dressed too, but he didn't have any clothes apart from the ones he'd worn to Canada. So instead he had found one of Dan's old T-shirts and worn that; it didn't fit him perfectly, but it would have to do.

The doorbell rang just as Maddy jumped down the last step in to the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Rhydian, a slightly nervous but excited look on her face. Her stomach did a little flip and she smiled at her boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss before running to the front door.

When she opened it, the sight of her two best friends had her frozen in her tracks again. For a moment, Maddy looked them all over, taking in everything; their familiar faces, excited smiles, bright eyes and matured features.

The three of them stared at each other for a while.

Maddy had been expecting herself to start squealing excitedly as she opened the door.  
>She had been expecting masses of hugs and jumping up and down and grinning and more squealing.<p>

But everything remained silent for a good minute or so as they just stared at each other. Maddy felt tears stinging in the backs of her eyes and her lip began to quiver slightly.

It had been far, far too long since she had seen these two. Her two best friends who had been there for her for as long as she could remember.

How had she managed this long without them?

Their faces were so painfully familiar; it was almost like a dream, the fact that they were right in front of her right now, so close she could literally reach out and touch them.

The first tear fell on to Maddy's cheek, and Shannon smiled sadly.

And then, before saying anything at all, they threw themselves at each other and hugged tightly in a big group hug.

Tears were pricking at all of their eyes; a few had escaped from Shannon's as well as Maddy's and Tom was having to swallow his.  
>Rhydian watched fondly from behind them, a bittersweet smile tugging on his lips.<p>

"We've missed you so much," Shannon whispered, burying her head further in to Maddy's shoulder.

Maddy inhaled her best friends' familiar scents and felt more tears escape her eyes. She had wanted to see them for so long – pining for them, wanting to remember what it felt like to be together – and now that they were here, it was all pretty unbelievable.

"Rhydian, get over here, man," Tom said, his voice thick with threatening tears as he opened his arms for Rhydian.

Grinning, Rhydian walked forward and put his arm around Tom's shoulder and his other around Maddy's waist. He leaned in and kissed the side of Maddy's face before grinning and hugging his friends tighter.

The four of them hugged for a while longer. And when they finally came apart, both of the girls had tears on their faces and they could tell that the boys were trying to keep their tears in.

They stepped in to the kitchen.

"I can't believe you're here!" Shannon said happily, her familiar grin more prominent on her face now.

"I can't believe we are either," Maddy smiled fondly up at her best friend and took a hold of her hand.

"Are you staying? For good?"

Maddy nodded and looked up at Rhydian, squeezing his hand affectionately. "We are."

Squealing excitedly, Shannon leaned forward and hugged Maddy again, meaning that Rhydian and Maddy's hands were no longer together.

Maddy hugged back and grinned over Shannon's shoulder. She was bouncing up and down excitedly, and this was when the excited squeals and happy laughs began; they were overjoyed beyond belief.

Tom and Rhydian watched them, grins on their faces.

"When did you get back?" Tom asked Rhydian as the girls hugged each other more.

"Late last night. About 10pm, I think."

Tom nodded. "How was Canada?"

"Weird…but good. They had this house right next to the mountains which meant that every night we could just run free if we wanted to. That was cool."

He nodded again and then grinned at Rhydian, patting him on the back. "We missed you. Didn't think we were going to see you so soon."

"I didn't either," he looked over to his girlfriend and Shannon who were now making tea together in the kitchen. Tom and Rhydian were standing by the sofas next to the kitchen. "…But Maddy was really missing home a lot, so we decided it would be best for her to come home."

"Without her parents though?" Tom leaned in closer to Rhydian and lowered his voice, obviously so that Maddy couldn't hear. Rhydian had given them the heads up that Maddy was anxious about being here without her parents.

Rhydian shrugged. "It's what's best for her. It's weird and unconventional, being here without her parents, and it's going to be tough, but…we're gonna make it work. It was what she needed, you know?"

Tom nodded, leaning away from Rhydian again. "I get it. Well, for the record, _we _are glad you came back."

Tom and Shannon stayed for most of the day. They left at about 3pm, after having spent the day catching Maddy up with every single thing that Rhydian hadn't already told her. (Rhydian had made a point to tell them of the fact that Mr. Jeffries and Liam being in on the secret was something he still hadn't told Maddy). The four friends were picking up right where they left off, as if no time had been spent apart.

The hugs they gave each other before the two left were quite long, as if none of them were quite ready to leave yet.

They had spent the day sitting around the table, Shannon and Maddy on one side and Tom and Rhydian on the other. The talking never stopped and the time went so fast.

* * *

><p>About an hour after Shannon and Tom left, Maddy and Rhydian decided to go for a run in the woods to let of some steam in the warm summer evening air.<p>

The whole time, Rhydian was grinning and laughing because it had been far too long since he'd run through these woods with Maddy. Her scent was filling his nose, her hair was whipping around as she ran slightly ahead of him, and he just couldn't stop laughing as she laughed too. Everything about her was intoxicating. It felt so good to be with her again; so good to be with someone who not only understood being a Wolfblood, but someone who understood _him _on a different level.  
>Maddy had always just <em>got <em>everything Rhydian was, is and ever will be. She'd never judged him for his past, or the way he lashed out sometimes, or the way he did things before thinking. She had always just taken things the way they were with him and loved every part of him; even the parts that weren't that easy to deal with.

She wasn't just someone.

She was his Alpha, and he was never letting her go again.

After an hour of running at top speed, twirling through and climbing up the trees together, the couple finally stopped by a tree, totally out of breath. Their faces were indescribably joyful.

"Let's stop for a minute," Maddy said, almost panting for air as she settled on the floor against the tree.

Rhydian nodded and sat next to her, his shoulder brushing hers as his head rested on the bark of the tree behind him.

"Maddy, you're a little genius, you know that?" He tilted his head to look at her and she frowned in confusion.

"…What prompted that?" She drawled.

He reached down and linked his fingers in between hers. "I was thinking…we should go on a date. Somewhere nice…"

Maddy smirked and looked up at him. "Oh, _I _see what you're doing here…," and then she grinned playfully before continuing in a slightly mimicking tone, "are you asking me on a date?"

Rhydian grinned too. "So what d'you say? Finally have that first date that got very rudely cancelled?"

Maddy's playful grin faded in to a soft smile. They were looking each other in the eyes.

She nodded slowly. "I'd love to."

"I would say we won't go to Bernie's, but it's not even there anymore…"

"What? Why?"

Rhydian grinned. "You've missed a lot, Miss Smith."

Maddy grinned too and leaned in to kiss him softly.

A first date. _Finally_.

* * *

><p>"Jana and Ceri?" Shannon questioned on the night before Maddy and Rhydian's date.<p>

Shannon, Tom, Maddy and Rhydian were all sitting around the dining table in Maddy's house, a couple of empty takeaway pizza boxes strewn over one side of the table.

"Yeah," Rhydian said, sitting back lazily in his chair. He was so full; he was beginning to feel a food coma coming on. "Do you know what happened to them?"

"Yeah," Shannon replied lightly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course we do. Jana took a job at Segolia on a trial basis."

"Wow, really?" Maddy asked. She was leaning back in her seat too as she sat next to Rhydian.

Shannon nodded. "Yep. Victoria was so impressed with her talents that she decided to let Jana come to Segolia on her own terms. At first she was uncomfortable with the job offer, but when Victoria said it was no strings attached, she couldn't turn it down."

Tom nodded too and continued for her, "And they provided a house for her, Ceri, and your dad to live in. Just by the woods, about a mile from here."

"Your dad?" Maddy questioned incredulously.

Rhydian turned to Maddy, a sheepish smile on his face. "Oh, yeah…kinda forgot to tell you about that one."

"How did you forget that!? You have to tell me everything!"

"I will, later," he chuckled fondly and turned his attention forward again.

"How have we not smelled them here before now, though?" Maddy asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I guess you just haven't passed near enough to her house," Tom shrugged.

Rhydian slowly sat up again and leaned his elbows on the table, his hands coming up to just in front of his lips. His brow was furrowed thoughtfully and he wasn't looking directly at anyone.

"I'm just worried about social services," he finally said. "What are they going to do when they find out Maddy and I are living here on our own?"

"You're seventeen now, Rhydian; technically you can live independently." Shannon pointed out.

"I guess. But I'm just worried. Authorities are weird like that."

Maddy sat up too then and put her hand on Rhydian's thigh. "We'll be OK," she said softly, a gentle smile forming on her lips. "We just need to find jobs. Pay for the bills, you know. And food."

Rhydian nodded, turning his head to face her. "Yeah. We do."

"How about the Kafe?" Shannon suggested.

"The what?" Maddy asked.

Shannon, Tom and Rhydian all smirked in unison before Shannon explained. "The Kafe. It's where Bernie's used to be."

"What kind of a name is 'The Kafe'?"

"The kind Katrina would make up,"

"Katrina!?"

"Yeah, she owns the Kafe now. Her, Kara and Kay all work there."

Maddy let out a low whistle in surprise and stared at her best friend incredulously. "I won't believe it until I see it."

"Well, you will see it," Rhydian cut in. "That's where we're going tomorrow for our date."

Maddy couldn't help but let out a smile. "Really?"

Rhydian nodded, and Shannon grinned at the two of them. "Awe, you guys are _so _cute. We've missed you being all romantic."

Maddy rolled her eyes and grinned at her best friend. "Shut up."

* * *

><p>"Night, Mads," Rhydian said softly, pushing the door to Maddy's room open. It was 10.30pm; Shannon and Tom had gone home about an hour ago, leaving Maddy to have a bath before bed. He had told her all about his dad and what had happened with Segolia a while back; Maddy was shocked to hear that he'd met his dad but she was also incredibly happy for him. As she'd watched him explain what Gerwyn was like, she could see a glint of happiness in his eyes that hadn't been there before.<p>

He stepped in to her room, wearing just grey sweatpants, his hair tousled slightly.

Maddy was standing in the dim light of her room in front of the full length mirror, wearing her PJs—loose shorts and a vest top. She was brushing her hair.

Maddy turned to look at him when he took a few steps in. And then she smiled, walking over to him after putting the hairbrush down.

"Night, Rhydian." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him softly.

It was just one kiss and when Rhydian pulled away, he rested his forehead on hers, both of their eyes still closed. His arms came around her waist and he rested his hands on her lower back.

Maddy could feel each of his fingers on her back through the thin fabric of her top, and it made her shiver slightly under his touch. He really could drive her crazy.

"We're going to see your mum tomorrow, right?" Maddy asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

There was a beat of silence as they stood together, just breathing.

"Love you." Rhydian said quietly.

"Love you too." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, bringing him in to a hug.

Rhydian was making the most of having her close like this. Every second they spent together was another second that increased his desire for her. He needed her; he needed her more than he'd ever known.

He gently pulled her body closer to his, as close as he could manage. He just needed her closer. Always closer.

A few minutes later, Maddy pulled away, kissing him quickly before resting her forehead on his again.

"Kissing before the first date, huh?" Rhydian quipped.

Maddy let out a breathy chuckle. She kept her eyes closed. "What kind of people are we?"

Rhydian grinned too and brought his lips down to kiss her cheek softly. "See you in the morning."

She nodded. "Night."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter! _

_I just want to clear a few things up from some reviews I received. _

_This story **will** have a running plotline eventually; in fact it starts next episode, I believe. Although the story is set out in "episodes", there won't be a plot line every "episode" like on the show because the chapters would end up being too long and far too tedious to read/write. So just bear with me whilst I set the groundwork; I figured you guys would like to read some happy stuff and reunions and Maddian moments before the real plot line begins. That's the way this story is going to work._

_Hope you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism only please :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_Next episode of The Ancient Grudge:_** _"Frowning curiously, Jana set her cup of water down on the coffee table and went to the door. When she pulled it open, her facial expression changed from a frown to a look of complete and utter surprise."_


	5. Stay

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode Three, Part 2 - "Stay"<strong>

* * *

><p><em>The next day. <em>

Jana was in the kitchen of her house, looking through the window that looked out in to the forest behind the house. She filled her glass with water and headed in to the living room where Ceri was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, Gerwyn having gone out for a run in the woods.

Ceri sighed slightly before she spoke. "I have lived in the human world for quite some time now…" She started.

Jana laughed. "Never thought I'd hear you say that, Ceri."

Ceri smiled, her eyes still down on the magazine as she flipped through it, a look of disgust on her face. "…And I still do not understand why humans find this stuff interesting. Who are these people in the magazine, and why should I care how much weight they have lost?"

Giggling, Jana leaned over Ceri's shoulder to take a look at the magazine article. "I don't know, Ceri. Maybe we should ask Shannon and Tom."

"Surely they are not as shallow as other humans?"

"They're definitely not."

Jana was just about to sit down on the sofa when there was a weirdly patterned knocking at the door, almost as if the person behind the door had never knocked before.

Frowning curiously, Jana set her cup of water down on the coffee table and went to the door.

When she pulled it open, her facial expression changed from a frown to a look of complete and utter surprise. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, mouth falling slightly open.

"Aran?" Jana said lightly; it was more of a statement than a question.

Aran was standing outside her door, his head hanging slightly low but his eyes on her. His hair was messed up and his clothes the same as always, but he looked tired with dark circles under his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked incredulously. "You know what, I don't even care. Just…come here." Jana stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Aran reciprocated and hugged her back, his head burying in to her neck slightly as he inhaled her familiar scent.

"I missed you." He said, his voice rough and low.

Jana pulled away but stayed close, his hands on the tops of her arms as she looked in to his eyes. "I missed you too." They both smiled at each other tenderly and were just about to hug again when Ceri walked up behind them.

She frowned in confusion. "Aran? What are you doing here?"

Jana stepped back inside, taking Aran's hand and leading him in behind her. He looked around the apartment cautiously; even after living in Maddy's house for weeks with Jana, he still wasn't used to the human way of living.

"I…I had to see you again, Jana," Aran finally explained as Jana carefully sat him down on the sofa. "It is not right without my Alpha."

Jana sat down next to him, her hand still in his, and she looked at him sadly. He wasn't quite meeting her eyes. "Aran, you know I belong here now."

Aran nodded. "I know, Jana," he didn't sound so sure. "But I…I cannot live without you in the wild anymore."

"I can't come back to the wild, Aran. You know that. This is my life now."

Looking around the room he was sitting in, his brow furrowed. Ceri was sitting in the armchair across from him and for a moment he met her eye before looking away again. "Don't you miss the wild?"

Jana thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders lightly, still trying to meet Aran's eyes. "I do not belong in the wild, Aran. I belong here."

"No you don't!" Aran suddenly exploded, standing up and letting go of her hand. "I can't live without you in the wild, Jana! You cannot stay here forever!"

Jana stood up too, clenching her fists by her side, her face stern. "_Yes_, I can, Aran. You cannot tell me what to do. If this is where I want to stay, this is where I will stay."

Aran finally turned to her, his eyes glowing yellow. "I do not know what to do!"

"What do you mean!?"

"I love you, Jana! And I do not want to be in the wild without you!" Jana stared at him in slight shock. And then Aran's voice quietened as Ceri subtly got up and left the room. "I don't want to _be _without you, Jana. You are my Alpha."

"I know," she said, her voice nearly a whisper. Aran's eyes were back to their normal colour now and she stepped closer, taking a hold of his hand again. He finally held her eye contact, both of their breathing now increased. "I love you too, Aran."

"Then why can't you come back to the wild and be with me? – Be my Alpha?"

"I am still your Alpha even when I am not in the wild," Jana said decisively. "I can still be your Alpha here. Why do I have to come back to the wild, Aran? Why can't _you _stay _here_?"

"You mean…stay in the…_human _world?"

Jana shrugged. "You've done it before. You can do it again."

Aran stared at her, his brow furrowed even further now and a look on his face as if he were in a total conflict with himself. Jana could tell he wanted to stay because he wanted to be with her. But she could also tell that he really didn't want to stay in the human world; it was against everything he'd ever believed in and everything he'd been taught.

"I want you to be happy, Aran," Jana whispered when he didn't respond. She stepped closer again. "I really do."

"I cannot be happy without you."

She felt tears rising in her eyes. A frown found its way on to her face and she reached up with her free hand to put it on his face, gently smoothing his cheekbone with her thumb.

"Then stay with me for a while. Just try it, Aran. You might not hate it as much as you think you will."

He stared at her again. He looked more conflicted than ever.

For a moment he looked as though he was about to say something, but then he shook his head rapidly and headed towards the backdoor, opening it quickly and running off in to the woods behind the house.

Jana watched in shock, her eyes now totally glassy. She was tired of Aran running off when he got scared. She just wanted some stability; she just wanted him to _be _with her.  
>In all honesty, Jana had never known missing anyone like how she missed Aran whenever he was away. They had grown up together and nothing felt right without him with her.<p>

Ceri came back in to the living room, a cautious look on her face.

"Jana? What was that all about?" She asked quietly, stepping towards Jana tentatively.

Jana was still staring out of the now-open back door, gazing at the path Aran had just taken. "Aran ran away again." She answered, her voice distant.

"Why?"

"I asked him to stay in the human world."

"Why would he want to stay in the human world?"

Jana took a deep breath in. And when she blinked, a fat, salty tear spilled over the edge of her eye and fell on to her cheek. "For me. I asked him to stay for me."

"So why did he run—"

Ceri didn't have time to finish her sentence before Jana charged off and out the back door.

"—away." Ceri finished to herself, no one actually hearing her. She smiled in the direction of Jana's scent.

Jana followed Aran's scent for about a mile, running as fast as she could before he could get out of reach. Eventually she found him sitting on a fallen log, looking out over the river and kicking his foot in to the dirt repeatedly. His elbows were resting on his knees and even from where Jana was standing, she could tell his forehead was wrinkled.

"Aran," she called out. His head snapped around to face her for a brief moment before he looked away again. "I don't appreciate being run away from." Jana approached the log and tentatively sat next to him on his left hand side. He still wasn't looking at her.

A few moments of silence went by before he finally spoke.

"I am sorry, Jana," he said, his voice quiet and timid. "I should not have run off. I am a coward."

"Yeah, you are." Jana agreed, a slight hint of teasing in her voice.

Aran turned his head to see if she was being serious, and when he saw her smiling slightly, he smiled too. He nudged her shoulder playfully with his.

"I was serious about you staying, you know," Jana said, breaking the silence. "I want you to stay."

"...I think I want to stay too."

"Then why don't you?"

Aran shook his head, the look on his face showing that he felt at war with himself. "It goes against everything I have ever been taught."

"But that doesn't mean you can't try it. It's good to try new things."

"You sound like a human."

"We _are_ part human, Aran. It is not a crime to sound like one; or live like one, for that matter," she stated. "Listen, Aran, I want you to stay. I really, really do. Please, at least try it.… For me."

Jana reached out and took his hands in hers. He didn't look at her for a moment, but when he did, his face looked less in pain now and more at peace.

And then he took a deep breath, letting it out before squeezing her hand. "Then I will stay with you, Jana. Just for a little while."

"You'll stay?"

He bowed his head once to her as a form of confirmation. "I'll stay."

Jana grinned, leaning forward to kiss his cheek before hugging him, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

* * *

><p>"Why do I feel so nervous to meet your dad?" Maddy asked, her hand linked with Rhydian's as they walked through the woods towards Jana's new place.<p>

"Don't be," Rhydian said, a smile working its way on to his face. "He'll love you."

"It just feels weird. Your _dad_."

"Tell me about it. And it's even weirder that he's back with my mum."

"It's a good weird though, right?" Maddy clarified, looking up to check his face for any signs of distress or worry.

Rhydian's smile grew a little at the corners of his lips and he nodded, staring down at the ground. "Definitely a good weird."

"And I'm excited to see Jana, too."

"I think she missed you."

"Really? _Me_?"

"Yeah."

"She probably missed you more. You guys were close."

Rhydian nodded. "Yeah, we were. She looked after me whilst you guys were away."

Maddy smiled softly and squeezed Rhydian's hand just a little tighter. She was still looking at him, but he wasn't looking back. "Remind me to thank her for that."

Briefly, Rhydian turned his head to face her. "I will." He smiled before his attention turned back to the path ahead of them.

Jana's house was small. It was a bungalow, right at the end of a small street of similar looking houses, all of them backed up against the forest. Maddy and Rhydian could smell all of the residents of the street from where they were standing; some were Wolfbloods and some weren't.

Smiling, Rhydian led Maddy up the front garden path and to the door.

He knocked three times.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and there stood Ceri.

Her face was a picture.  
>Her eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face and her eyebrows rising in shock.<p>

"Rhydian!" Ceri exclaimed in shock, all of her features happy. "My beautiful boy, you're back!"

Rhydian grinned, but before he could say anything, word must have spread through the house because a flurry of footsteps rushed towards the door.

And before their eyes, there stood Jana, followed by two men; one of which Maddy vaguely recognised from when Alric had tried to kill Rhydian all those months ago, and another he didn't recognise at all.

"Rhydian? Maddy?" Jana questioned. "What are you doing here!?"

"Well…we're back." Rhydian grinned, giving Maddy's hand a squeeze before letting it go and stepping forward to hug his mum.

Jana pushed past the group of Wolfbloods as Rhydian hugged his parents and rushed out to Maddy.

"Maddy! You're back!" She exclaimed, smiling, wrapping her in a hug.

At first Maddy was slightly surprised by this outburst – Jana had only ever properly hugged her once – but soon she reciprocated the gesture.

"And you're living in a house!" Maddy joked, earning a genuine laugh from Jana.

"Who'd have thought it, huh?" Rhydian said now from behind Jana. She turned to him and hugged him as well before all of them started inside.

Rhydian put his hand in Maddy's again as they walked in to the living room.

"Maddy, this…is my dad." Rhydian introduced, a slight feeling of nervousness now present behind his voice.

Gerwyn stood a few feet in front of Rhydian and Maddy, a smile etched on to his face.

"Well, it's great to meet you, Maddy. I'm Gerwyn." Reaching forward, he shook Maddy's hand and she smiled back.

"You too, Gerwyn. Rhydian's told me so much about yous."

"All bad, I hope."

Maddy giggled. "Of course."

Gerwyn grinned in return before the Wolfblood Maddy vaguely recognised stepped in to the light.

Maddy eyed him warily, stepping behind Rhydian slightly. The last time she'd seen this Wolfblood, the boy she loved had nearly been captured by him and Alric.  
>However, this time he seemed to have a different look in his eyes. One of innocence and sincerity; nothing like the way he had looked before. His eyes were his natural colour, which made a change, too; and there were no angry veins crawling up his neck.<p>

"Maddy, this is Aran. Do you remember him?" Jana asked gently, taking a hold of Aran's hand.

Maddy eyed their joined hands suspiciously before looking back to Jana. "Yes, I remember him."

Aran bowed his head in gratitude, not raising it as he spoke. "The last time we met, we got off on the wrong foot, as the humans say. I am truly sorry for this... I hope you can forgive me."

Frowning, Maddy looked to Rhydian for reassurance. He smiled softly and nodded twice, giving Maddy all the reassurance she needed.

"I forgive ya, Aran. It's nice to meet you properly." Maddy smiled, her voice soft and hesitant. She came out from behind Rhydian and stood properly now.

"Maddy," Ceri's voice came up now from a few feet away. Frowning again, Maddy looked at the familiar Wolfblood (the last time she had seen Ceri, she was wearing dirty, smelly clothes; now she was wearing jeans and a very pretty blouse and her hair was straightened. It was a wild contrast).  
>Ceri continued, slightly awkwardly. "I know we have never gotten along very well before, but I see it in Rhydian's eyes, how he truly feels for you," she was acting as though this was very hard for her to say, and she kept glancing at Rhydian as she was speaking. Rhydian smiled encouragingly at her as she continued. "Jana has told me how things are between you two. And…I hope we can put the past behind us. I will no longer try to take him away from you; you are his Alpha. I realise that now."<p>

Maddy smiled, slightly stunned, and she nodded once. "It's behind us, Ceri. I'm sorry too."

Ceri smiled, leaning forward to give Maddy a quick hug. That had not been what Maddy was expecting, but it was good. It was really good.

Maddy and Rhydian spent lunchtime with the four of them. They all sat around the dining table – which Aran found incredibly confusing and disconcerting at first – and caught up with each other. For a while it was Maddy and Jana catching up as Rhydian caught up with his parents; then it was Rhydian and Jana as Maddy spent some time getting to know Ceri, Gerwyn and Aran a little more.

She bonded with Gerwyn a lot more than she had expected; his sense of humour was very similar to Rhydian's – she could see where he got it from now – and that had always been one of her favourite parts of Rhydian, so she liked it about his dad too.  
>He was a nice guy, and Ceri very clearly was in love with him still. It was bizarre for Maddy at first to see Ceri looking so gently, caringly, and so…<em>humanly<em> at someone. But it was obvious in her eyes when she looked at him that she loved him.

And it went the same way for Gerwyn, too. After all these years, they were clearly still smitten.

Rhydian watched out of the corner of his eye as Maddy talked and laughed with his parents. It made a warm feeling grow in his stomach.

A few months ago, he would have never believed that he'd be here right now. Most of his favourite people were here (minus Shannon and Tom), together, in one room and he couldn't remember a time he had ever felt so content. His parents were here together, two good friends from back in his Wild Pack days and, most importantly, his Alpha.

Things were finally beginning to look up for him.

_If only it had lasted. _

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _Okay, first off, I just want to thank the guest reviewer who reviewed "Always" (my JanaxAran fic) saying that it would be cool to have JanaxAran involved in this fic too. I totally agree with you! _

_Thank you so much for reading! And thank you for all your wonderful, wonderful reviews. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do let me know what you think; are you happy to see Jana again? How about Aran? :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**Next episode of 'The Ancient Grudge': "**She identified the scent in an instant and her confusion worsened. _That scent shouldn't be here_, she thought."


	6. Returns

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _I hate leaving ANs at the top of chapters but just a subtle heads up because this story is rated T for a reason, so...don't get mad if you don't like what goes down here. But don't worry, it's literally nothing graphic or in detail cus I don't write that kind of stuff:')  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Episode Four, Part 1 - "Returns"<strong>

* * *

><p>Now that Maddy and Rhydian had been back for just over two weeks, things were starting to settle back to normal. It was now September 1st and summer had passed by all too quickly.<p>

Rhydian had been in contact with Mr. Jeffries. He sorted out that Maddy would be taking her GCSEs this next academic year starting in two days, completing independent study alongside Rhydian and Shannon in their A-level classes, making it easier for Mr. Jeffries to teach her without having to organise more lessons. Of course, Jeffries knew the truth, but their explanation for the rest of the class was that Maddy and her family had had to go to look after a sick family member and now she was back to finish school.

Maddy still didn't know about the fact Mr. Jeffries now knew their secret. Rhydian wasn't sure why, but he was procrastinating telling her; he was scared of her reaction. He'd tell her one day. When the time was right.

When Rhydian had told her how easily and quickly Mr. Jeffries had let her back in to school, Maddy was confused.

"Why did he let us back in so easily?" Maddy had asked.

Rhydian couldn't quite meet her eye; instead, he had just laughed nervously and kept his eyes down. "He's a mystery." He'd settled for saying, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

The first day back at school was going to be a full moon; Rhydian never thought a night in the den would look so good. For the first time ever he didn't even care about the fact he was locked up in there when the wolf should be able to run free; all he cared about was the fact that he was back home again, with his Alpha, on a full moon.

But now, Maddy was up in her room getting ready for their first date – _finally _– and it felt weird not to be nervous. Usually a first date is something filled with nerves and butterflies, something with an uncertainty about it, but it was different for them.

Maddy and Rhydian had been best friends for two years before they realised their feelings for each other. And they had always been each other's Alphas; they'd always been close, which kind of took away the intense nerves that both Maddy and Rhydian should have been feeling before their first date. Instead, they felt excited to be spending time with each other.

Maddy wore some black skinny jeans and a lilac top with loose sleeves that occasionally slipped down on to her upper arms, revealing her black bra strap. The T-shirt had a pattern on the front featuring butterflies and it was one of Maddy's favourite shirts. On her feet she wore dark purple ballet flats and her hair was as it always was, long and straight, with a tiny bit more makeup than usual around her eyes.

Rhydian wore blue jeans and a smart-casual grey button up shirt. Even though he wasn't nervous, he still wanted to look nice.

Maddy walked out of her room just as Rhydian walked out of his, and they almost collided in the hallway. She'd been hoping for a romantic reveal as she walked down the stairs to greet him at the bottom but, looking back, that wasn't very likely when they lived together. (_Living together_. That sounded so grown up and mature and Maddy wasn't sure that she was okay with it; back when her parents were here, it seemed more normal).

"Hey," Maddy laughed as they almost walked in to each other.

"Hey," Rhydian grinned at her before looking her up and down. Her top showed off her frame perfectly and her long, straight hair looked so beautiful. The left sleeve of her top had fallen slightly leaving her shoulder and strap on show. His eyes were wide before he could stop them and the grin on his face had faded in to a shocked smile.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Maddy asked with a smile, her voice low and her cheeks blushing. He'd looked at her in a lot of ways – a lot of ways that showed how much he loved her – but he'd never looked at her quite like this; a slight sparkle in his eyes and a glint she didn't recognise.

"Sorry," Rhydian shook his head as if shaking himself out of a trance and then he smiled at her. "You look beautiful." Stepping forward, he put his hand on her waist and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks," Maddy smiled. She reached down for his hand before leaning forward to give him a quick kiss on the lips. When they parted, they could tell that they both wanted more, but Maddy managed to pull herself away. That could wait until later.

"Shall we go?" Rhydian asked as they started down the stairs.

"Let's go."

"Are we running there?"

"Yeah. But let's walk for a bit first."

When they got to the Kafe, Maddy was very surprised at how different it looked in there. She wondered how Bernie's had never seemed this big before and straight away she could tell that the Ks had decorated this place. It was multicoloured – _everywhere _– and featured a mix of different patterns and tables and booths.

Maddy and Rhydian chose a table in the corner. She tried to avoid looking at the three girls standing behind the counter, even though both her and Rhydian were aware of them watching intently.

Katrina gasped.

"So it _is _true…Maddy's back with Rhydian!" Kay whispered to her friends, not realising that Maddy and Rhydian could hear them perfectly clearly.

"I honestly thought that was just a rumour that Rhydian made up just to make himself feel better." Kara commented, earning a giggle from the other two girls.

Rolling her eyes, Maddy sat down at the table and watched as Rhydian glared at the girls over his shoulder, a light growl emerging at the back of his throat.

Maddy squeezed his hand. "Rhydian, leave 'em. They're not worth it."

After a few minutes, Katrina strutted towards their table and smiled all too sweetly, a small notebook in her hands.

"So, Maddy, where _did_ you and your family run off to all that time ago?"

Maddy rolled her eyes again. "Nice to see you too, Katrina."

"Can we just order?" Rhydian asked impatiently, giving Katrina a look.

"Sure. What can I get yous?"

"Um…I'll have a steak." Maddy said.

"I'll…have the same."

Katrina raised her eyebrows. "Wouldn't kill you to say please."

"Wouldn't kill you to have some tact." Rhydian countered.

Katrina just rolled her eyes and stalked off again in the direction of the counter.

Maddy turned to Rhydian. "Since when are you so snappy?"

"Sorry," Rhydian apologised, putting both of his hands over hers. "I've just…I spent so long missing you, and I wanted to spend some decent time with you back home again. And I'm sick of people being nosy. It's nosy people like her that drove you guys away…"

"Hey, stop talking about that, okay? I'm back. I'm not going anywhere. And…even if I was going anywhere, you would be coming with us."

He looked in to her eyes for a minute; his eyebrows furrowed together, and then sighed through his nose. "You're right. Sorry. I won't bring it up again."

"Good."

Maddy was smiling now, and Rhydian brought her hands up and kissed her knuckles, still looking in to her eyes. His lips lingered on her skin for a minute.

"I've missed you being here." His face was serious, and sad, and sort of regretful.

"I've missed it too," she replied sincerely, taking his hands and kissing his in return.

And then they slipped in to casual conversation, as usual. They had no trouble finding things to talk about; things were always so easy and natural between the couple.

Even though school was starting really soon and Rhydian didn't particularly want to go back, they just enjoyed the time as it was, because for now it was perfect.

Until Liam walked in.

Rhydian's head snapped up when Liam came in through the café's front door and immediately he became anxious. He had one tiny shred of hope that Liam _wouldn't _see him and Maddy sitting here but, of course, he did.

He did a double take when he looked at them. And when he spotted Maddy sitting there, he stumbled back slightly in to the counter and Rhydian tried to catch his eye.

"Maddy?" Liam stuttered out incredulously. His eyes were wide and his breathing had increased; Liam hadn't seen Maddy since the incident with Dr. Whitewood, and it was weirder for him now because he knew her secret. He had been right all along.

Rhydian's heartbeat increased rapidly. Liam couldn't stutter out that he knew the secret now. This was _not _the time.

"What's the matter, Liam?" Kara started, her tone already mocking. "Still worried that Maddy's the _werewolf _of Stoneybridge?" The three Ks fell in to laughter but Liam, Maddy and Rhydian didn't.

Liam just simply glared at the girls. Maddy stared at Rhydian, confused as to why Liam was reacting so strangely. And Rhydian had been trying to catch Liam's eye, but now he was letting out little growls from the back of his throat at the joke Kara had just made.

Katrina continued. "Yeah, especially since that family down South have been killed reportedly by a 'lone wolf'. Maybe it was _Maddy_."

The Ks continued laughing.

Rhydian squeezed Maddy's hands supportively as if to say _she's only joking_, and Maddy seemed to understand. But she still didn't feel any less confused.

"Shut up, Kara." Liam said, his eyes narrowing. He looked back over to Rhydian warily, very tentatively stepping towards the couple sitting at the table.

"Hey, Liam." Maddy said, completely and utterly uninterestedly. She looked down at the table, her hands still in Rhydian's.

"You're back," Liam said cautiously.

Rhydian let out a not-so-subtle cough, getting Liam to turn his nervous eyes to him. Attempting to get what he was trying to say across with just a look, he widened his eyes slightly, shaking his head subtly. Luckily, Liam seemed to understand.

He tilted his chin up in understanding for a second. Then he managed to snap himself out of his weird daze and he looked back to Maddy, a nervous but sincere smile on his lips.

"Nice to see you, Maddy." Liam said, patting her once on the shoulder before turning and walking away.

Maddy glared at Liam from behind the curtain of her brown hair, not moving her head up.

To Maddy, Liam was purely the guy who had started up the whole Dr. Whitewood thing, meaning that _he _was the root cause of why she had to leave all those months ago.

And she wasn't sure why he had had that reaction to seeing her again.

"What was that all about?" Maddy asked once Liam and the Ks were all out of earshot.

Rhydian, now mostly recovered from the tension and anger he had felt a moment ago, shook his head quickly. "Just forget about it."

Maddy looked at him suspiciously, but chose to shake it off.

It was probably nothing. And both of them were sure that what Katrina had joked about was all just made up; after all, the Ks did love to wind everyone up, Liam in particular. Some things never changed.

* * *

><p>Maddy and Rhydian returned home at about 8.30pm. After their dinner, they had decided to go for a longer walk before heading back home.<p>

It was still light outside but not particularly; the sun was setting on the horizon.

Rhydian held Maddy's hand tight as they approached her house. She was pressed in to his side, holding his arm with her spare hand. Something about the atmosphere between the two just made them want to be closer; closer than ever.

The incident with Liam had been long forgotten by Maddy – not so much by Rhydian, but it had mostly slipped his mind – and the date had come to a smooth, content end.

When they got inside, their hands didn't break contact once as Maddy closed the door and locked it behind them. She turned to Rhydian and he was smiling softly at her, blue eyes looking right in to hers.

"Thanks for tonight," Maddy smiled, stepping closer to him again.

"You're welcome. We should do it again…soon."

Nodding, she found herself leaning closer to him and he leaned closer too. Soon their lips were touching and they were kissing, softly and slowly, like both of them were scared anything sudden would break up this moment.

The evening had been so perfect; they never, ever got tired of being together. It was like they never ran out of things to talk about, but even if they did, they would just share the silence together.

Rhydian found himself wanting to pull her closer as they stood in the kitchen by the staircase; he had the overwhelming feeling of how much he truly loved her. He wanted to be closer; to touch her.

They were still kissing slowly minutes later. For a second Rhydian pulled away and took her hand in his, gently pulling her towards the stairs.  
>Smiling slightly, Maddy willingly followed. They didn't break eye contact all the way up to her room.<p>

Their kiss didn't become heated or fast or rushed once they were up in Maddy's room, the door now closed behind them even though no one else was in the house.  
>In movies, this kind of scene would always be fast and heated. They would always act before they thought but with Maddy and Rhydian in this moment, everything was slow. Somehow it was even more passionate than the rushed scenes you see on movies; every ounce of them just wanted to connect. To show how much they loved each other.<p>

"I love you," Rhydian mumbled against her lips. "So much."

"I love you too."

And then Rhydian gently guided her towards her bed, and Maddy didn't stop him.

* * *

><p>When Rhydian woke up the next morning, he was effortlessly close to a peacefully sleeping Maddy. It took him a second to realise that he was in her room and not his; the light streaming through her red curtains gave the whole room a slightly red tint rather than the blue he was used to.<p>

They had had to sleep really close to each other, their bare skin touching almost everywhere, because of how small Maddy's bed was. It wasn't ideal, and it wasn't particularly comfortable, but it was happening. And Rhydian wasn't going to complain. Maybe they wouldn't be doing this every night, but still, he loved it for now.

Maddy's head was buried in to his neck, under his chin. He could feel her breath on the dip where his neck met his chest and it felt nice to have her this close. Last night he had just wanted her to know how much he loved her; now much he _needed _her. They were inseparable now. Nothing was ever, _ever _going to break them apart again; they were a partnership now and their only true ties were to each other.  
>Sure, they had responsibilities within their pack, lives and families, but nothing could ever be as important as the responsibilities and ties they had to each other.<p>

That was the only way they ever needed to be. _Together_.

Rhydian dozed off again after a few minutes of lying still; the steady rhythm of Maddy's quiet breathing had sent him back to sleep.

Maddy woke up with her face up against Rhydian's warm chest. He was asleep, she knew that much; his breathing was soft and steady and she could feel it moving the hairs slightly at the back of her neck. His arms were wrapped around her whole body as they lay dangerously close to each other. She felt safe and at home. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but she thought it was worth it.  
>Her bare skin was covered by the sheets and as she lay there, breathing in Rhydian's familiar scent, she closed her eyes and began to remember what had happened yesterday.<p>

Rhydian had been amazing last night. She was astounded by the amount of respect he had for her; he had asked her if she was sure at least three times and taken things slow. The way he'd kissed her was so romantic and it showed her, every single second, how much he loved her.  
>Maddy had done the same for him and put every ounce of love in to every second they spent together. She hadn't wanted any of the moments to end and everything was ten times better than she had ever imagined it to be.<p>

Feeling Rhydian's arms around her and breath tickling her skin now as they lay on her bed together, she felt like nothing could ever be that bad again as long as they were together. He was her Alpha, and she was his. Nothing would ever change that and nothing would ever be able to break them apart.

But Maddy was broken out of her happy trance by the sound of the doorbell ringing downstairs. She frowned to herself and Rhydian stirred, inhaling quickly and moving away from her slightly.

"Someone's at the door," Maddy whispered.

Rhydian brought his hand up and rubbed his right eye. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, I can't smell 'em yet. I'll go down…you stay here."

Maddy hastily but begrudgingly climbed out of bed and pulled on her jeans from last night and Rhydian's T-shirt that was sitting on the floor. Her hair was a mess, she knew that much, but she didn't have time to do anything with it.

When Maddy walked down the stairs, a familiar scent began to fill her nostrils. She didn't quite identify it yet, but a frown etched its way on to her features and she started descending the stairs slower.

She identified the scent in an instant now and her confusion worsened. _That scent shouldn't be here_, she thought.

And when her hand came down and opened the door, and she saw the familiar faces staring back at her, she froze. They didn't look happy, or surprised, or anything like that. _No_. Their faces were creased with worry and anxiety, and there was a sad, hurting glint behind their familiar eyes; their cheeks were streaked with dry tear stains underneath the dark circles.  
>Why on earth were they here, and why were they looking at her like <em>that<em>?

"Mam? Dad?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Hola! _

_So, for some reason I feel like I'm going to get some bad reviews for this chapter. I guess I kind of left it up to the imagination, but people might have different opinions on what happened here.  
><em>

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter though! Do let me know what you thought. As always, constructive criticism only please. :) _

_Thank you for all your wonderful reviews on the last chapter too _

_Love :* xxx_

**_UPDATE:_**_ Thank you to the guest reviewer for reminding me to put the episode title at the top of this chapter! _


	7. Breaking Point

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode Four, Part 2 - "Breaking Point" <strong>

* * *

><p>"Mam? Dad?" Maddy questioned, her voice utterly confused. Her frown deepened.<p>

Emma and Dan stepped inside wordlessly, their heads now hanging low. They weren't holding hands or looking at anything in particular. Maddy noticed that her mum's face had tear stains on it.

Maddy's mouth opened and closed as she tried to get a sentence out of her mouth, but she was totally lost for words. Her parents had been in Canada just over two weeks ago and they seemed to have their hearts pretty set on staying there and away from civilisation, so why had they come back so soon? And why did they look so…_anxious_?

"Why…why are you guys here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I just…_why_?" She knew there was something wrong.

Maddy's parents turned to face her when they walked in to the kitchen, and they finally looked Maddy in the eyes. But they looked at her reluctantly; like it took everything in them to make eye contact with their daughter.

"Maddy, pet, we had to come back because we have some bad news we have to tell you…" Emma started, standing by the table.  
>Just at that moment, Rhydian came downstairs. Thankfully he had pulled on some sweatpants and a T-shirt, although his hair was still very tousled. Maddy's cheeks flushed red when she realised that the messiness of his hair was probably down to how she had run her hands through it repeatedly last night.<p>

As soon as Rhydian lifted his head to see who was there, his brow furrowed in confusion and he pulled his head back slightly.

"Mr and Mrs. S? What are you guys doing here?" Rhydian asked, just as confused as Maddy by the bewildered looks on their faces. He walked over to Maddy who was standing by the table and watched as her parents sat down. They sat down opposite them.

"We…we have some bad news," Emma said again. Tears hit her eyes once more. Rhydian and Maddy both noticed.

Maddy looked from her mum to her dad, hoping to find that one of her parents was looking less distraught; unfortunately, Dan looked just as upset as her mum. Maybe even more.

Maddy gripped her chair uncomfortably. "Well? What is it?"

Emma took a deep breath. Her words were shaky. "Maddy, pet, we…um…someone from your aunt's pack down south called us up today. She…she told us that our family – your aunt, uncle and cousins – have all…" her voice cracked as a fresh wave of tears rose in her eyes.

Instinctively, Rhydian took a hold of Maddy's hand and held it tight.

Dan continued for Emma who was now crying again.  
>"They've been killed, Maddy," his voice was tiny and weak, and Maddy had never heard him like this before. She'd never heard either of them sound so…<em>vulnerable<em>. "Our family has been killed. The woman who told us is one of three in their pack that are left. They barely got away." He wasn't looking her in the eyes. Instead, his eyes were darting around as if the tears were about to fall, as if _he _was about to fall apart, but he wasn't letting himself.

"Wh...what?" Maddy stammered, a wave of different emotions passing over her in an instant. Rhydian moved his chair closer their arms were crossing as they held hands; he was looking back and forth from Maddy to her parents, a worried and confused look on his face. "How? W-When? _Why_?"

"It's…a little hard to explain," Dan watched his daughter carefully now. He didn't want to make her feel worse by explaining. "Our family of Wolfbloods goes back hundreds of years; our history, our culture, our values.… But, unfortunately…that means that some bad stuff goes back that far along with the good things.  
>"Our ancestors had some sort of ancient grudge with a pack of wild Wolfbloods hundreds of years ago, and we thought that they'd all died out centuries ago, but…it turns out there's one left."<p>

"And…he killed our family on his _own_?" Maddy's eyes were filling with tears now; tears of confusion, grief, sadness…

Emma shrugged miserably. "He's a wild Wolfblood, pet. His family or pack must have been teaching him for years to do this. We're not sure if he had help for it, though. We're not sure on any of the details," she told her cub, leaning over and placing a hand over hers. "I'm so sorry, pet. We didn't want it to be this way."

And then things started to fit together.

The joke Katrina had made yesterday in the Kafe about the family in the south who had been reportedly killed by a wolf.

It wasn't just _any_ family that had been killed. It was Maddy's family.

And it wasn't _just_ a report. It was all true.

Maddy's eyes finally spilled over with tears. She turned her head to face Rhydian, eyes wide, lip quivering. He stared at her with a look on his face that was indescribable.

"Maddy…" he whispered, not really sure what to say as he watched his girlfriend begin to fall apart before his eyes.

Instead of saying anything, Maddy just let out a small sob noise and threw herself at Rhydian, burying her head in to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as tightly as he could through his own shock and sadness.

She was letting out loud sobs now and Rhydian could feel a patch on his shirt begin to get slightly wet. He didn't know what to say or do; there really was _nothing _he could say or do to make this better.  
>Her hands were grabbing on to his shirt over his shoulders, failing to find grip there but not wanting to break Rhydian's touch. It was like she couldn't hold herself up but she was still trying to by holding on to Rhydian. Like, somehow, holding on to him would keep her together when everything around her was falling apart.<p>

Emma and Dan watched as their daughter sobbed in to Rhydian's chest. Dan felt Emma tense; they weren't used to Maddy turning to anyone else for comfort except them. It was a weird feeling, and Emma started feeling slightly protective over her cub. As far as she was concerned, Rhydian had no place being her daughter's first port of call for comfort. They hadn't witnessed anything over the past two weeks of Maddy and Rhydian being by themselves; they weren't used to seeing their cub so attached to someone else.  
>And Emma couldn't help but notice that Maddy was wearing Rhydian's shirt, the buttons done up slightly off-centre. She had to resist the eyebrow that was threatening to raise.<p>

"I'm so sorry, Mr and Mrs Smith," Rhydian said seriously as he pulled his head away from their daughter's neck, his eyebrows furrowed so deeply that you could barely see his blue eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks, Rhydian," Emma smiled politely at him and then reached for her daughter. "Now, come here, pet. Give us a hug." When Maddy didn't move, Emma froze.

Rhydian didn't know what to do.

"Rhydian, let her go. She needs her mam." Emma said seriously. She didn't want to come across as being pushy, but she also didn't want to watch Rhydian comfort _her _cub anymore. This was a time of pain for the whole family, and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with Rhydian being in on everything.

Maddy's strained, tear-filled voice came up, muffled from Rhydian's chest. "I don't want to let him go."

"You need your mam," Emma insisted, "a cub always needs her mam in times of pain."

Maddy responded in a way no one thought she would. Instead of sobbing even more, her sadness and grief seemed to turn to anger.

Her eyes went yellow in an instant and she turned to face her mum, her head snapping around at an unbelievable speed.

"I'm not your cub anymore!" She yelled, her voice almost bubbly from the crying. "Stop calling us that!"

"Maddy, pet, I'm not trying to—"

"Stop it! What's so wrong with us turning to Rhydian for comfort!? _Ugh_!" In a flash, she pushed her chair back and started to storm up the stairs, her feet making a loud stomping noise as she went.

After last night, Maddy was more connected to Rhydian than ever, and he was the comfort she needed for now.

Rhydian watched until she was out of sight and then turned to her parents awkwardly. Maddy always was temperamental; he guessed that the grief of losing not just one family member, but several of them, had already begun taking its toll on Maddy and she was reacting with anger.  
>If he listened closely, he could hear her heart beating from upstairs. It was fast and irregular, like her breathing was jagged and unstable.<p>

"I'll talk to her." Rhydian mumbled, beginning to get up from his seat.

"No, I'll talk to her." Emma started for the stairs before Rhydian, but then she heard the sound of her daughter's voice come down the stairs from her bedroom.

"No one but Rhydian is talking to us right now."

For a moment, Emma gave Rhydian a look. But he was looking at her so innocently – so worried for Maddy – that she couldn't stop him from going up to see her cub. Maddy needed someone, and if she wasn't going to turn to her own mother, then Emma would just have to let Maddy speak to Rhydian. Her protective instinct could wait.

"Tell her I'm sorry for getting too protective." Emma said quietly to Rhydian before sitting back down again.

Once Rhydian was up the stairs, he slowly pushed open the door to Maddy's room.

He found her lying on her bed on her side, her back to the door and her body jerking every few seconds from crying. A sense of déjà-vu came over him for a moment.

There were still clothes on the floor from last night and the sheets were still messed up, pushed to the bottom of the bed.

"Mads," Rhydian started, his voice soft as he closed the door behind him. "Maddy, come here." He climbed on to her bed and lay on his side. She didn't turn to face him just yet so instead he shuffled closer and put his arm around her waist from behind. "I'm sorry about your family." He left a chaste but slow kiss on her neck.

He heard Maddy sniff and watched as she moved to wipe her nose with her sleeve. Her hair was covering her face so he couldn't really see her expression, but he still lay close to her and kissed the back of her head.

"I didn't mean to storm out," she finally spoke, her voice tiny and weak. "It's just…mam and dad always hassled us about ya before we left Stoneybridge and now they're doing it again. They're not used to sharing us. I guess…they just didn't want to lose out on giving us comfort. They're used to being the ones I turn to."

Rhydian was quiet for a moment before he took a shaky breath and spoke. "I can go if you want. Just for a while. If that'll make it easier between you guys…"

Maddy's hand came down and took a hold of his, lacing their fingers together. "No. I want you to stay."

And finally, after a few more minutes, she slowly turned around so that she was facing him. Pressing her head in to the pillow, she closed her eyes, feeling a few tears spill out as she got herself comfortable (as comfortable as she could on this small bed, anyway).

Rhydian wished he could say something to make it all go away. He'd only just got her back, only just seen her smile again, and now something else from her world was being ripped out from underneath her. He hated seeing her hurting, and he hated that he couldn't make it better.

So instead, he settled for putting his arm around her and letting her bury her head in to his chest. She clenched her fist around his shirt and held on to it as if it were a lifeline.

Maddy sobbed for a while. Rhydian felt the shaking and jerking of her body against his, and after another half hour or so her breathing slowed down, flooding Rhydian with a tiny bit of relief.

"Do you want me to tell your parents that they can come up now?" Rhydian asked quietly in to her ear.

"They're probably listening anyway." Maddy grumbled.

"Do you want to see them?"

"No."

"Are you okay?"

Maddy hesitated. A fresh wave of tears came over her. "No."

* * *

><p>Rhydian and Maddy wished now more than ever that she had a bigger bed.<p>

Last night had been bearable, sharing a bed together for the majority of the night, but tonight it wasn't going to be possible. Maddy had the strangest feeling of being closed in – it had been there since about a half hour after she got the news – and as much as she wanted to be near Rhydian, she didn't want to share a tiny bed with him.

And anyway, they didn't exactly want to highlight to Emma and Dan what they had done last night. So they decided to try and keep as low of a profile as possible.

Emma and Dan had been okay with the couple sharing a bed in Canada, but mainly just because Rhydian had nowhere else to sleep, and the bed was big enough. But here, Maddy and Rhydian got the strangest feeling that her parents might suddenly _not _be okay with it; especially after the way Emma had been with Rhydian earlier that day.

So instead, he went through to his own room at about midnight, after having comforted Maddy as much as he could.

Maddy didn't want him to leave her alone. She was already hurting enough and not having Rhydian near her made her miss him and his comfort. But it was something they had to deal with for a number of reasons.

She sat up in bed after he'd left the room and put her head against the wall. Their rooms were connected by this wall and both of the heads of their beds were up against each other behind the wall. For a while she listened as he got ready for bed, waiting until she could tell he was in bed and the light was off.

"Rhydian," Maddy whispered. "Rhydian, can ya hear me?"

"Yeah," she heard him whisper back. He sat up in bed and leaned the side of his head against the bedroom wall. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. I want to be with ya."

"I know," Rhydian sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "I want to be with you too."

"Especially after last night," Maddy couldn't hold back a small grin and she bit her bottom lip.

Rhydian chuckled. "_Definitely_ after last night."

"Too bad me parents had to come and ruin it. Mam is driving me up the wall."

"They had no choice, Mads. They had to come... They had to tell you."

"I know." She sighed.

"I can sneak through if you want."

Maddy shook her head, even though he couldn't see her, and she leaned her forehead on the cold wall. "Me parents will know. Somehow they always do. And anyway, I don't feel so well."

"What's wrong?"

"I just feel closed in. It's weird, especially because it's the full moon really soon."

"That is weird," he agreed, "maybe you're just tired though."

"Maybe."

For a moment Rhydian stayed silent. His eyes were closed as he turned so it was his forehead against the wall, and somehow he could feel that she was doing the same on the other side.

"I want to kiss you right now," Rhydian said out of the blue, his voice low and serious. He just suddenly felt the need to kiss her.

"I want to kiss you too." She breathed.

A beat of silence passed over them before Rhydian spoke again. "School starts tomorrow."

"I know,"

"Do you think you should go? After the news you just got?"

"I don't know. I'll wait and see what me parents think."

And they went on like this for a while, just talking. Soon they both fell asleep, but it was all Maddy needed, just to hear his voice for a while. It calmed her down.

But the pain in her chest was still there, and the feeling of being closed in had worsened.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_SEASON FOUR. SEASON FOUR. THERE IS A SEASON FOUR. THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEASON FOUR. I AM NOT CALM. _

_Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. I keep remembering at random moments that it's actually happening and then get all excited all over again. :') Are you guys excited for it!? _

_Anyway, thank you for your amazing, amazing reviews on the last chapter. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! Please do leave a review to let me know what you thought. And also what you hope to see in the actual season four that IS HAPPENING. :D _

_Love :* xxx_


	8. Morwal

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode Five, Part 1 - "Morwal"<strong>

* * *

><p>Rhydian woke up the next morning at 7am. Things had been relatively quiet in the house, but he could hear Maddy's parents moving around quietly downstairs in the kitchen.<br>So he'd gone downstairs to talk to them, and together they had decided that Maddy wouldn't go to school that day. Her head had been so cloudy after finding out the news about her family; it wouldn't have been a good idea to go in to school and face all the curious eyes, nosy questions and stuffy classrooms.

Now it was 7.30am, and Rhydian decided to leave Maddy be for a while now in case she was still sleeping. Instead he went for a shower.  
>It was full moon day, and Rhydian was hyped because of that fact but also worried for Maddy. What kind of a full moon would it be when Maddy was so heartbroken about what had happened to her family?<p>

Half an hour later, Mrs. Smith and Mr. Smith were downstairs, Emma just about to take a mug of tea up to her daughter when she heard a door slam upstairs.

At first she thought it might have been Rhydian – she knew Maddy wasn't going to school today – but then a familiar scent filled her nose.

Maddy came down a few seconds later, dressed in her school uniform. Uncharacteristically, she had some makeup around her eyes, and her hair was pulled back at the sides.

Her parents eyed her strangely when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" Maddy questioned coldly.

Emma shared a glance with Dan before looking back to Maddy. "Nothing, it's just…we thought you were going to stay home from school today. You know, so you could get over the shock."

"I'm fine."

"You're not going to school today, Mads. Sorry, but it's just not a good idea. Things are too tough right now."

"I'm _going_ to school. I haven't had a normal life in ages. You can't stop us."

Dan frowned. "Maddy, we're just trying to help…"

"Well you're not helping!" Maddy exclaimed, grabbing an apple and picking up her school bag. Her eyes suddenly started turning their familiar yellow colour, and her parents weren't really sure why. "I'm fine. I'm not going to let a stupid wolfblood fight stop me from living me life."

Both of her parents were frowning at her now. They'd never seen Maddy like this before. Her eyes were wild and had turned yellow at even the slightest feeling of anger, her hair and makeup were totally different to normal, and she was even feistier than usual and was practically demanding that she went to school. Like she was trying to take control.

"Maddy, maybe stay home just for today and then go in tomorrow, how's that?" Dan tried to reason with his daughter. It didn't work.

She turned to him and glared, a small growl escaping from the back of her throat before she turned on her heel and ran out the front door.

Seconds later, Rhydian came downstairs. He was dressed in his uniform and a frown was etched on to his features.

"What just happened?" He asked. "Where's Maddy?"

Emma gave him a wary look. She was chewing her bottom lip. "She's not herself this morning," she started hesitantly, "she's just gone in to school—"

"What?" Rhydian cut her off, his frown intensifying. "I thought we agreed she wasn't going in?"

"Well, we tried to stop her just now, but she wouldn't give in. Her eyes were turning yellow and she just wasn't acting herself. I just wanted to ask you to look out for her today. You know, at school…"

"Of course. Always."

"Thanks, Rhydian. Hopefully she'll be fine, but call us if you need us."

Before Emma could say anything else, Rhydian had turned on his heel and run out of the front door after grabbing his bag.

Emma turned to Dan, a slightly worried look still in her eyes.

"You think she'll be okay?" Dan asked.

"Rhydian's on it," Emma shrugged, wrapping her arms around Dan's waist, "he'll keep her safe."

But she was still worried. And Dan knew that.

* * *

><p>Maddy was running through the woods at full speed. She could feel the tingling in her hands and feet as the exhilaration reached an all time high, and it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Jet black veins were beginning to appear on her hands and she laughed to herself. She felt free. <em>Wild<em>.

All of a sudden, Rhydian caught the scent of his girlfriend in his nostrils and it was getting closer. But it wasn't her usual scent; she smelled different in a really weird way. He could still identify that it was Maddy – he could identify her scent any day – but it was tainted with something different; something more intense. Something he'd only ever smelled once before.…

Before he knew it, she'd appeared at his side and was grinning ecstatically, her eyes glowing an extreme yellow. It was the polar opposite of the way he'd last seen her last night; lying on her bed, tears streaming down her face, her skin pale and brown eyes sunken.

"Rhydian!" Maddy grinned now, jumping on his back straight away.

"Maddy?" Rhydian was extremely confused. What had gotten in to her?

"Come on then…let's go to school!" She hit his arm with her hand as if she was riding a horse, and he couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.

Bending down a little, he put her back down on the floor and then turned to face her. "We're not going anywhere until you do something about those eyes. And those _veins_."

"What about 'em?"

"People can't see you like that at school, Mads."

All of a sudden, Maddy seemed to explode right before him. Her mood shifted from hyper and playful to angry and serious. "You're trying to stop us from going to school too, aren't ya!?"

Rhydian frowned. "What? No, I—"

"You can't stop me! I'm going to school! This is _my_ pack, and I do what I want!" Pushing past him, she started walking towards school again but he grabbed her hand to pull her back.

"Maddy, wait. I'm not trying—"

"Just let us go! I'm going to school like a _normal person_."

And before his eyes, she was gone.

It took a few moments for it all to sink in.

The eyes glowing at the slightest heightened emotion. The veins surging under her skin. The need to control everything. The need to feel in power. The sudden and unpredictable change from _Maddy_ to this…_wolf _who was demanding that she does what she wants. The change in her scent.

He'd seen it (and smelled it) all before. Back when Jana lost her pack, she'd turned in to someone – some_thing_ – else, her anger and inner wolf getting the better of her. For Jana, it hadn't even been _her _wolf. It was something totally different.

_A Morwal. _

Maddy had the Morwal in her.

The Morwal happened when a wolfblood felt extreme pain or loss about something on the event of a full moon. For Jana it was when her pack abandoned her; that was her ultimate pain. And for Maddy, clearly her great pain was losing her family the way she did. She'd been consumed by the emotion of grief so much so that she turned in to something else.

"Morwal," Rhydian murmured to himself before quickly following her. He couldn't leave her on her own today; it was too risky. He'd have to try and calm her down somehow; try to get her to find herself again.

* * *

><p>"Hey Mads," Shannon greeted Maddy tentatively as she walked through the playground. She wasn't expecting Maddy to come to school today.<p>

"Hey, Shan." Maddy was grinning like she'd just won the lottery, and Shannon was immediately confused.

She eyed her best friend warily. "How you doing…?" She drawled.

"I'm fine," Maddy shrugged nonchalantly, her smile fading in to a serious line. "Absolutely fine. Ready for school? I know I am." And then she stalked off towards the school's entrance, leaving Shannon standing on her own, thoroughly confused.

Emma had called Shannon and Tom last night to tell them what had happened, and then this morning as well so as to give Shannon a heads up about Maddy not being in school. But now she was here, acting very peculiar, and Shannon wasn't really sure what to do or what to make of it.

She spotted Rhydian running across the field towards her and waited patiently. His brow was furrowed and his face was serious.

"Morwal," he said, out of breath, when he reached her.

She gave him a weird look. "Hello to you too."

"No," he grumbled impatiently. "It's Maddy. She's got the Morwal in her. It's not her wolf.… Remember what happened to Jana, the day after she lost her pack? On the full moon?"

Shannon's face straightened out in realisation, her eyes growing wide. "_Maddy_? Morwal?"

Rhydian nodded, glancing around the playground ominously. "She's pretty torn up about her family, and I guess this is her ultimate pain. She told me last night that they were her only family left besides her parents. She grew up with them, Shan. And now they've gone."

"Poor Maddy," Shannon breathed. "What can we do to stop this?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. We can only keep an eye out for her. Try not to let her eyes turn or her veins show, that kind of thing. Try to keep her as calm as possible. We don't want a repeat of Jana…"

Shannon nodded seriously. "I'll keep an eye out. You go find her."

"Where did she go?"

"In to the school."

"I'll follow her scent."

Within minutes Rhydian was running through the school, following the cloud of scent that wasn't as pure as usual; tainted with something else, something that wasn't Maddy. He didn't like where this was going.

"Maddy!" He called when he finally saw her, standing at her locker, eating a piece of bacon. He frowned. "Where did you get that?"

"Rhydian!" Maddy grinned and pulled him in by his collar, kissing him roughly. It caught him off guard and he had to pull away to catch his breath. Straight away, she leaned back in. This wasn't Maddy. And he wasn't so keen on kissing her when it wasn't even _her. _

"Shall we go to registration?" Rhydian smiled nervously, taking her hand and leading her towards the double doors.

"I want more bacon."

"You can't have bacon now, Mads. Where did you even get that?"

She shrugged. "Jimi had some."

"Why?"

"Said he had breakfast on the way to school, or something."

Rhydian shook his head slowly, incredulous. "Okay then."

* * *

><p>Maddy's Morwal was becoming increasingly harder to control as the day progressed. In Biology, someone had bumped her shoulder as they walked past by accident and she'd started to growl, veins and wolf teeth coming out in a flash. Rhydian noticed the change in eye colour right away and had to get her to excuse herself to the toilets to calm down.<p>

Not to mention the curious eyes and questions coming from all the people that had stayed at school to complete A-levels. Every time someone asked something a little too nosy, Maddy would jolt towards them and bare her teeth, growls escaping from her throat. Rhydian was on edge all day, trying to keep her safe.

In History, someone started talking about the history of ancient feuds and how they can lead people to do some awful things such as kidnap or kill people, and Maddy very nearly lost it. Even more so than in Biology.  
>Her breathing had become heavier, she'd started letting out small growls, and Rhydian noticed the black veins begin to surface under her skin.<p>

He'd moved closer and put his hands over hers to stop anyone from seeing the veins, and when he touched her, she flinched. She flinched right back and looked at him for a moment as if she had no idea who he was, her eyes glowing yellow.  
>Just like Rhydian had had to do with Jana a few months ago, he put his hand on the back of Maddy's neck and pulled her face in to his chest. It was lucky that she didn't protest and when she'd pulled away, her eyes and skin back to normal again, she had seemed to snap back in to reality.<p>

Her eyes drifted downwards and she shook her head. "Sorry. I don't know what's got in to us."

Rhydian knew.

Rhydian knew exactly what had gotten in to her, but he didn't think that now was the time to explain it to her. When he tried to do that for Jana, it had only made things worse. So instead, he gave her a slightly sad smile and held her hands tighter.

At lunch time, all seemed calm until Mr. Jeffries came in.

Maddy was sitting next to Rhydian, their arms brushing together slightly as they ate. Shannon was still getting her lunch.  
>Mr. Jeffries came straight to their table and he crouched down next to where Rhydian was sitting.<p>

"Just wanted to check everything was okay. I saw Maddy get a bit worked up in History and wanted to…you know…check she's alright. I don't think anyone saw. I know it must be hard, settling in after all that time away…"

Rhydian smiled slightly and started answering, but Maddy had heard her form tutor loud and clear and she snapped her head around quickly.

"I'm fine, Mr. Jeffries. Why wouldn't I be?" Maddy snapped.

Mr. Jeffries eyed her warily and then looked back to Rhydian, who gave him a slow nod and a look that said 'just leave it'. "Okay, just…as long as everyone's alright." And then he started walking off, and Maddy's eyes shot to Rhydian.

"What did he mean by 'no one saw'? No one saw _what_?" She demanded, grabbing his arm and holding it tight; not in a romantic way, more of an 'I'm really angry at you so don't even think about trying to get out of this' kind of way.

"Nothing, I…I think he just meant that no one realised something was wrong." Rhydian was beginning to regret not telling her about Mr. Jeffries (and Liam) sooner. He'd been scared of her reaction, but now that she was Morwal? Her reaction would be worse than ever.

Maddy narrowed her eyes. "We both know that's not the truth, Rhydian. I can hear your heartbeat, remember? I know when to spot a liar; you taught me that yourself!"

"What's going on?" Shannon asked when she made it to their table.

Maddy decided to answer for Rhydian. "Mr. Jeffries just came along and asked if I was okay in History and told us that 'no one saw'. But Rhydian hasn't told us what he was on about!"

Shannon spoke before her brain gave her permission. She looked at Rhydian warily. "You haven't told her?"

Maddy's eyes shot to her best friend. "Told me what?"

"Maddy, calm down, I'll…I'll tell you the truth, OK?" Rhydian took a hold of Maddy's hand and she turned back to him, her eyes narrowed.

"Go on then."

"Not here. I'll tell you later."

"_Now_, Rhydian."

Impatiently, Rhydian sighed and slammed his spare fist on the table. "Alright! Fine! Mr. Jeffries _knows_ about us, okay? He knows. And…and so does Liam."

Maddy felt the anger surge through her veins as this information sunk in. Mr. Jeffries…_knew_ about her secret? And _Liam_? Liam, of all people! How had this happened? Why did they betray the secret? And why didn't Rhydian tell her that Jeffries and Liam knew?  
>She felt like she'd been lied to, stabbed in the back and completely betrayed.<p>

This wasn't her.

"_What_?" Maddy growled through gritted teeth, the familiar black veins beginning to surface on her hands. Again. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I'm sorry, Mads, I…we didn't think it was something you needed to know."

"Oh yeah? Well that's not exactly up to you to decide, is it!? I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Maddy was coming across as being upset by this – and deep down she was – but right now, the sadness seemed to be overtaken by a feeling of anger. She just felt so out of control, so _outraged_, by the fact that her teacher now knew her biggest secret and her own _boyfriend_ didn't care to tell her this vital piece of information.

Her blood was rushing through her veins now and she felt the tingling begin. It was unbearable; nothing like anything she'd ever felt before. Normally she felt in control, but right now she didn't even feel like herself. It was such a simple thing to get upset about – something that wouldn't usually bother her this much – but she didn't feel in control.

The anger took over her, and to be honest, she didn't even care anymore. All she wanted was revenge. Domination.

Low and quiet growls were escaping her throat now. Her teeth were bared.

"Maddy, calm down," Shannon's voice came up softly from the opposite side of the table.

"_NO!_" Maddy exclaimed, catching the attention of quite a few people in the lunch hall. "I will _not _calm down! I can't believe you didn't tell us, Rhydian! You betrayed me!"

"That's not _you _talking, Maddy. It's the Morwal." Rhydian said lowly through gritted teeth.

Maddy stood up from her seat, half noticing the crash of the chair as she pushed it to the floor, and Rhydian watched her. Instantly, he noticed the change in her eyes and the thin, black lines gradually appearing up around her neck. "I have no idea what that means, but I don't care what you call it, I—"

But then Rhydian stood up too and begrudgingly grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her in to his chest so that no one saw the veins, and the eyes, and now the teeth, too.

"Let me _go_!" She wriggled and squirmed and hit him, trying to get away, but when nothing worked she decided to just yell at him from where she was.

"You are unbelievable, Rhydian! You need to stop pretending like you care about us when all you care about is yourself! I should've known you were keeping such a big secret from us. You're a _liar_. That's all you've ever been!"

And then, she tore her body away from his and ran at full speed out the door to the lunch hall. Everyone watched her until she was out of sight, and then all eyes turned to Rhydian.

"Nothing to see here," Shannon stood up behind Rhydian and took him by the shoulders, pushing him towards the door where Maddy had previously ran. They stopped just inside the hallway, letting the door close behind them.

Rhydian was frowning intensely, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows brought together.

"Since when was Maddy so sensitive!?" He exclaimed, but he already knew the answer.

"It's the Morwal," Shannon reminded him softly, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She can't help it."

Rhydian was staring down at the ground, his fists clenched and his mind whirling around. He didn't know what to do; he didn't know how to control this.

For a moment he thought back over the time when this had been Jana; when she had turned at the slightest feeling of anger or betrayal and started going all-wolf.

He'd followed Jana then. That had helped.

"I have to go after her," Rhydian finally concluded, lifting his eyes up to meet his friend.

Shannon frowned. "What? No, not on your own; not when she's in that state and that angry at you. Maybe you should let her cool off a bit."

"No. She's dangerous; it's not her wolf. She could hurt someone," and then he looked at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. And when he looked up again, his eyes looked bloodshot and concerned. "…She could hurt herself." He started for the door to the car park but Shannon stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Rhydian, please…"

"Look," Rhydian started, giving her the gentlest look he could. "I know you're just trying to help; but Maddy's had to calm me down when I've nearly lost it so many times. Now it's my turn to do the same for her."

He was looking at Shannon so seriously, so sincerely, that she couldn't help but nod and let him go. He loved Maddy more than anything, and as it was his natural instinct to protect her, she couldn't keep him here.

"Good luck." Shannon said before he charged down the hallway and out the doors.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_And t__he plot thickens, as they say. :P _

_Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter! I love you guys and reading back on all these reviews, faves and follows just makes me so happy. I never thought this many people would be in to this story and it makes me so happy that you guys like reading this story as much as I'm absolutely **loving **writing it. Thank you! _

_Hope you liked this chapter and that it didn't disappoint. Let me know what you thought in a review! :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_PS:_**_ Just in response to a question from a guest reviewer; I would never normally give any spoilers but in this case I will, so... no, Maddy will not be finding out she's pregnant in a few chapters of this story. I have a whole plot line ready and that's not in the plan as of yet :) _


End file.
